Do You Really Get Drunk Faster at High Elevations? Aug 29, 2008
Indeed, a of several thousand visitors to Rocky Mountain resorts found that adults who drank within the first 24 hours of arriving actually had lower rates of acute mountain sicknessalthough the results may have been skewed by visitors who decided not to drink because they already felt ill. Got a question about today's news. (Slate)
Effects of High Altitude Aug 28, 2008
Generally, altitude sickness appears at elevations above 6500 feet, and acute mountain sickness over 8000 feet. At higher altitudes, the barometric pressure is lower, which results in less oxygen entering the lungs per breath. (Suite101.com)
Adventure on snow and ice - again Jul 4, 2008
" Hydration and moving slowly are essential. Camp two at 19,000 feet was the next objective. Halfway up, Calhoun suffered acute mountain sickness. "I felt drunk and wobbly," he recalled. From then on it was one step forward and then rest 10 seconds because he was determined to bring ropes, climbing equipment, extra cold weather clothing and other gear to the camp and then descend to rest. He made it, then "glissaded" down a thousand snowy feet on his stomach and butt, then dropping another 1,500... (Orange Bulletin, CT)
When Going High Brings You Down Apr 13, 2008
This often leads to the hangover-like acute mountain sickness, and less frequently to two much more serious disorders we'll discuss later. Fitness is no protection. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Travel)
Moms v. the mountain Feb 11, 2008
We size each other up at the airport: Who will succumb to acute mountain sickness (symptoms include nausea, vomiting, headaches, hallucinations). Who will get wild diarrhea from the water. (Globe and Mail)
Concord teen's Kilimanjaro conquest matches model for his extraordinary life Oct 8, 2007
The only time he felt like turning back, he says, was when his father developed acute mountain sickness and had to halt his ascent a few hundred feet from the summit. "I didn't want to continue," Nico admits. (Boston Globe)
Youth the key to Everest success Aug 17, 2007
He said there were a number of ways people could die when climbing at such extreme altitudes - traumatic deaths due to falls or accidents, or deaths due to acute mountain sickness. Age is unlikely to be a factor in acute mountain sickness, but as older people are less physically fit they could be more likely to have a fall than younger climbers. (BBC News -- Science)
Low-Pressure Airline Woes Jul 8, 2007
The study found that the hangover-like symptoms of true altitude sickness -- called acute mountain sickness -- were no more common than at close to sea level. But after just three hours in the simulated cabin, test subjects were more likely than others to report light-headedness, headaches, back aches, shortness of breath and impaired coordination. (San Francisco Chronicle -- Travel)
Heat wave could continue into next week Jul 7, 2007
In Wyoming's Grand Teton National Park, rangers used a helicopter Thursday evening to rescue a backcountry hiker after he suffered symptoms of heat exhaustion and acute mountain sickness. In California, heat was mostly confined to inland regions, with triple-digit readings in the Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys. (Anchorage Daily News)
Air sickness link to cabin pressure Jul 7, 2007
It also found that its onset was in the range of six to 10 hours, the same time range associated with acute mountain sickness, and that men were less likely than women to report discomfort. Dr Muhm and his colleagues are from the Seattle-based Boeing Company and the study was carried out with the Centre for Aerospace and Hyperbaric Medicine at Oklahoma State University for Health Sciences, Tulsa. (Channel 4 News)
Long-Haul Flights May Promote High-Altitude Symptoms Jul 6, 2007
The symptoms of acute mountain sickness are believed to be caused primarily by hypoxia in a hypobaric environment, such as high in the Himalayas, with the severity of symptoms increasing as arterial oxygen saturation drops, the authors noted ... 4% of the volunteers suffered from acute mountain sickness, with symptoms such as malaise, muscular discomfort, fatigue, and ear, nose and throat discomfort ... The authors suggested that the reported discomfort "may represent subclinical acute mountain... (MedPage Today)
Adjusting Cabin Pressure Eases Air Passenger Discomfort Jul 5, 2007
This decrease in oxygen saturation isn't enough to bring on acute mountain sickness, but pressurizing the cabin to 6,000 feet could help some passengers feel better when flying, concludes a study in the July 5 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine. "We found that the altitudes did not affect the occurrence of acute mountain sickness syndrome, but it did affect discomfort," said the study's lead author, Dr. J. Michael Muhm, senior occupation physician for Boeing Commercial Airplanes in... (Forbes)
Its not jet lag, its altitude sickness Jul 5, 2007
Headache, nausea and dizziness, fatigue and a general feeling of malaise are symptoms of acute mountain sickness, which 75 per cent of people will experience at altitudes of more than 10,000ft (3,000m) ... They report in the New England Journal of Medicine that symptoms of acute mountain sickness were experienced by 7. (Times Online)
Effect of Aircraft Altitude on Passenger Discomfort Jul 5, 2007
Background Acute mountain sickness occurs in some unacclimatized persons who travel to terrestrial altitudes at which barometric pressures are the same as those in commercial aircraft during flight ... Methods We conducted a prospective, single-blind, controlled hypobaric-chamber study of adult volunteers to determine the effect of barometric pressures equivalent to terrestrial altitudes of 650, 4000, 6000, 7000, and 8000 ft (198, 1219, 1829, 2134, and 2438 m, respectively) above sea level on... (New England Journal of Medicine)
Hikers Could Die From AMS: Prevention Awareness Needs To Increase Jul 4, 2007
Acute mountain sickness (AMS) affects almost half of those ascending to heights over 3,000m and may lead to life-threatening complications such as pulmonary or cerebral edema. A new study appearing in Journal of Travel Medicine details a prospective on-site study in the Himalayas between July and October 2004 in which the knowledge and practices concerning AMS were examined amongst trekkers. (Science Daily)
Altitude sickness study sends doctor to Everest Apr 26, 2007
They said that 12 percent of medical evacuations by our troops in Afghanistan during a major operation at altitudes between 7,000 and 10,000 feet were due to acute mountain sickness, Albrecht said ... Hamilton said he has never had acute mountain sickness but knows it could be dangerous ... I can t imagine what it would be like to have acute mountain sickness and have people shooting at you at the same time, Hamilton said. (Montana Standard, MT)
Drug Controls High-altitude Illness Feb 21, 2007
"Acute mountain sickness is one of three major high-altitude-related diseases seen in people who rapidly ascend to altitudes higher than 3,000 meters or 9,843 feet," said Dr. Poulin. "The other two diseases are high-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema. Worldwide, an increasing number of sea-level residents--altogether several million a year--visit areas higher than 2,500 meters. Many of them develop symptoms of acute mountain sickness. Among these symptoms are insomnia,... (Science Daily)
Trekking to Everest| Feb 15, 2007
By now I was hyperventilating and realised the cold had sparked a touch of acute mountain sickness. I couldn't sleep because every time I was about to drift off, my body jolted me awake, reminding me to breathe. (iAfrica.com)
