mountain sickness
High elevation illness
Mountain sickness is a condition caused by reduced oxygen at high altitudes, typically above 8,000 feet.
Symptoms include headache, nausea, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
Mild cases resolve with rest and descent; severe cases can be life-threatening.
Also called altitude sickness.
We had to turn back from the summit when she developed mountain sickness.
Pre-vomiting stomach discomfort
- vomitingExpelling stomach contents orally
- headacheCranial pain
- dizzinessUnsteady, spinning sensation
- fatigueWeariness from prolonged exertion
breathlessness · lightheadedness · disorientation · malaise · insomnia · loss of appetite · weakness · lethargy
Insufficient tissue oxygenation
- hypoxemiaLow blood oxygen levels
- oxygen deprivationInsufficient breathable gas supply
- thin airSeeming nothingness
- acclimatizationAdjusting to new conditions
hyperventilation · cyanosis · desaturation · pulmonary edema · barometric pressure · hypobaric · gas exchange · respiratory distress
Significant vertical distance upward
- summitPeak or diplomatic gathering
- peakUtmost height attained
- basecampExpedition's operational center
- HimalayasAsia's highest range
Andes · Rockies · Tibetan Plateau · Kilimanjaro · Alps · Denali · Machu Picchu · Everest
Adjust to new conditions
- descentDownward slope or lineage
- supplemental oxygenAdditional breathable gas supply
- hydrationBodily fluid replenishment
- rest daysScheduled recovery time
oxygen cylinder · pulse oximeter · medication · dexamethasone
nausea
Pre-vomiting stomach discomfort
fatigue · breathlessness · lightheadedness · disorientation · malaise · insomnia · loss of appetite · weakness · lethargy · confusion
hypoxia
Insufficient tissue oxygenation
- hypoxemiaLow blood oxygen levels
- oxygen deprivationInsufficient breathable gas supply
- thin airSeeming nothingness
acclimatization · hyperventilation · cyanosis · desaturation · pulmonary edema · barometric pressure · hypobaric · gas exchange · respiratory distress · oxygen saturation
high elevation
Significant vertical distance upward
Himalayas · Andes · Rockies · Tibetan Plateau · Kilimanjaro · Alps · Denali · Machu Picchu · Everest · La Paz
acclimatize
Adjust to new conditions
- descentDownward slope or lineage
- supplemental oxygenAdditional breathable gas supply
- hydrationBodily fluid replenishment
rest days · oxygen cylinder · pulse oximeter · medication · dexamethasone
- altitude physiologyacclimatization, hypoxia, oxygen saturation, thin air, barometric pressure
- Mountain Medicinehypoxia, acclimatization, pulmonary edema, supplemental oxygen, oxygen therapy
- breathingbreathing, inhalation, breath, exhalation, breathe
- Mountain Climatehigh altitude, thin air, altitude, snowfall, temperature extremes
- endemic diseasesmalaria, cholera, typhoid, yellow fever, dengue fever
- health geographymedical deserts, health disparities, geographic variation, endemic disease, disease clusters
mountain, mountains, mountainous, mountaineer, mountaineering, mountainside, sick, sickness, sickly