Skip to main content

Dealing with Altitude Sickness while Trekking

Altitude sickness is the sickness induced when one moves forward to higher altitudes or higher elevations. In Nepal, various locals and tourists get the symptoms of this sickness while trekking to mountains. Generally, the probability of getting altitude sickness starts from 3500 meters.

The reason behind altitude sickness is due to less oxygen exposure in high altitudes. 

 

Adventure Tour Packages in Nepal 

 

In some cases, the body will adjust to the surrounding, decreasing the risk of altitude sickness. Some dangerous forms of altitude sickness can lead to life-threatening issues. The risk of altitude sickness is seen in 20% of people when they are at a height of 8,000 m and 40% of people, at a height of 10,000 m.

There is no hard and fast rule as to why people might suffer from altitude sickness. Anyone in the high altitudes is prone to it. However, young people, people residing in lower altitudes, and those who are suffering from respiratory diseases are more susceptible to altitude sickness.

 


 

Types of Altitude Sickness

There are three categories of altitude sickness with common and severe form. The types are as follows:

 

Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)

Acute Mountain Sickness is the most common form of altitude sickness. This type of sickness is suffered by most people. The symptoms of AMS are headache, dizziness, nausea, and vomiting. If these symptoms are ignored, they can lead to life-threatening conditions that affect the brain or lungs. Furthermore, there are more chances of getting complicated HAPE and HACE sicknesses.

 

High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE)

High Altitude Pulmonary Edema is a severe form of altitude sickness causing breathlessness. Excess fluid gets buildup in the lungs. The symptoms are loss of appetite, fatigue, and loss of energy, shortness of breath even while resting, problem sleeping etc. It can also lead to high fever and frothy cough with blood tints.

 

High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE)

High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE) is another dangerous form that causes fluid buildup in the brain. The symptoms of HACE are headache, confusion, hallucinations, weakness, and loss of coordination, lack of consciousness, and paradoxical undressing (removing of clothes).

When suffering from altitude sickness, it is observed that the symptoms do not get better even after medications. Necessary precautions and care should be taken in proper time to alleviate sickness. The best-proven treatment of altitude sickness is acclimatization. It is the process of letting the body slowly get used to the air pressure at higher altitudes.

 

Below is the useful treatment to adopt during altitude sickness:

  • Acclimatization
  • Ascending slowly to higher elevations
  • Stop traveling and rest for at least 24-48 hours
  • Take ibuprofen (pain killer) to reduce headaches
  • Drink enough water
  • Avoid alcohol and smoking
  • Avoid exercise
  • Moving to a lower altitude to take sleep and start ascending again.
  • Taking oxygen or using Gamow bag in extreme cases
  • Taking medication such as Acetazolamide and dexamethasone when you cannot make a slow ascent. It decreases the symptoms of altitude sickness.

 

Altitude sickness occurs anywhere when hiking above 3500 meters. Several mountaineers and trekkers must be careful while trekking. In Nepal, mountaineers and trekkers climbing mountains or ascending towards higher elevations are often victims of this disease. Additionally in Nepal, the Himalayan Rescue Team offers the facility of Gamow bag especially in the routes towards Lukla. One must be aware to take necessary precautions regarding altitude sickness while trekking.

 

Source - Buddha Holidays 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A Memorable Trip to Varanasi

  Varanasi, known as one of the world's oldest cities, is a must-go-to place if you are living in India or making plans to travel India. The fact that it is located on the Ganges banks always excited me and all the fantasizing I used to do at the back of my head came true two years back when I visited Varanasi.  It is a central religious hub in India where thousands of devotees come to taste the culture Varanasi has to bestow upon its people. It is the holiest of seven sacred cities in Hinduism, so it might also be considered the Culture Capital of India. As I stepped out of the airport, I was amazed to witness the crazy traffic and pollution all around the city. Being amongst such a chaotic environment was as if I was murdering my senses. But as I strolled around the town in the evening, I realized that not all of the places were heavily clustered. After then, I reached my hotel, and since I was pretty tired already, I caught some Zs. Varanasi Varanasi, India The next morning...
Post a Comment
Read more

The Difference between VFR and IFR Flying Explained

There are two sets of rules for flying any aircraft: VFR and IFR. VFR stands for Visual Flight Rules. IFR stands for Instrument Flight Rules. Depending on the weather conditions a pilot may opt for one set of rules or the other. Mostly, it’s the weather that makes the pilot fly VFR or IFR. What is the difference between VFR and IFR flying? VFR normally means “see and avoid”. Under VFR, an aircraft is flown just like driving a car with eye movement and the pilot can see where he is going. VFR pilots maintain a ‘see and avoid’ principle when the visual meteorological conditions (VMC) are favorable. VFR is the usual way to fly a small craft. Under VRF, a pilot, however, cannot fly through clouds, which means they must go under, around, or divert if the clouds form a block en-route. In Nepal, for example, a IFR pilot can fly on the visibility of just 1,600 meters to 2,200 meters, depending on the aircraft type, says Ram Krishna Bhatta, an air traffic controller at Kathmandu's Trib...
Post a Comment
Read more