What is acute mountain sickness?
Trekkers and adventurers mostly get AMS (acute mountain sickness). When hiking or climbing at high elevations, you will suffer from Acute Mountain Sickness. Alternatively, AMS is called high altitude pulmonary edema. Usually, people feel above 2500 meters high from sea level. Some symptoms of AMS are headaches, Dizziness, Nausea, shortness of breath, etc. Sometimes Acute Mountain Sickness gets severe and causes danger to the brain and lungs.
What causes acute mountain sickness?
While hiking or climbing in higher elevations, oxygen levels will be decreased. Driving on high hills may not have enough time to acclimatize your body when trekking, skiing, or flying on high peaks. Pushing to hike yourself in the high Himalayas is a cause of acute mountain sickness.
What are the symptoms of acute mountain sickness?
Some symptoms of acute mountain sickness(AMS) will show between two hours of walking to the higher elevation. There is some reason for your physical body condition too.
Some Major symptoms of Acute Mountain Sickness
1) Dizziness
2) Alight headache
3) Muscle aches
4) Insomnia
5) Nausea and vomiting
6) Irritability
7) Loss of appetite
8) Increasing in a heartbeat
9) Short of breath
10) Social withdrawal
11) Inability to walk or lack of balance
12) Chest congestion and coughing.
Who is at risk for acute mountain sickness?
• quick hike or drive to high altitudes
• physical effort while traveling to a higher altitude
• traveling to heights above 2500 meters
• a low red blood cell count due to anemia
• heart or lung disease
• taking medications like sleeping pills, narcotic pain relievers, or tranquilizers that can lower your breathing rate
• past bouts of acute mountain sickness
If you desire to trek in high passes and you have any above conditions. Please take suggestions with your doctor on how to avoid developing AMS.
How is acute altitude sickness diagnosed?
A doctor can do all these things. They'll raise concerning activities and travel history in last few days or week. Throughout inquiries, your doctor can wish to use a medical instrument to pay attention to fluid in your lungs. To know these issues doctor might order a chest X-ray.
How is acute altitude sickness treated?
Treatment for acute altitude sickness varies depending on its severity. You may be able to avoid complications by simply returning to a lower altitude. Hospitalization is critical if your doctor determines that you have brain swelling or fluid in your lungs. You may receive oxygen if you've got respiratory problems.
Medications
Medications for hypoxia include:
• acetazolamide, to correct respiratory issues
• blood pressure drugs
• lung inhalers
• dexamethasone, to decrease brain swelling
• aspirin for headache relief
Other treatments
Some essential interventions are also able to treat milder conditions, including:
• returning to a lower altitude
• reducing your activity level
• resting for a minimum of each day before moving to the next altitude
• hydrating with water
How am I able to stop acute mountain sickness?
You can take some necessary preventive steps to scale back your possibilities of acute altitude sickness. Get a physical to form positive you've got no severe health problems. Review the symptoms of altitude sickness this you'll acknowledge and treat them quickly if they occur. If traveling to extreme altitudes (higher than ten 000 feet, for example), raise your doctor concerning acetazolamide, a medicine that will ease your body’s adjustment to high altitudes. Taking it the day before you climb and on the primary day or 2 of your trip will reduce your symptoms.
When ascent to higher altitudes, here square measure some tips which will assist you in avoiding developing acute mountain sickness.
