Mal de altura
- Clara Sáez Ibarra
- Irene Ruiz Adelantado
- Lorenzo Alarcón García
ISSN: 2660-7085
Year of publication: 2024
Volume: 5
Issue: 6
Type: Article
More publications in: Revista Sanitaria de Investigación
Abstract
The term altitude sickness disease covers several clinical conditions that occur in response to blood hypoxia that occurs due to the decrease in barometric pressure when we ascend above 2500-3000 meters of altitude. Rapid ascent, strenuous physical exercise, a history of lung or heart disease, and a history of altitude sickness have been identified as risk factors for developing the disease. The symptoms are caused by the extravasation of fluid in the brain and lungs. The most common form is acute mountain sickness or altitude headache, which is usually self-limiting. There are other serious forms such as pulmonary or cerebral edema at high altitudes that can compromise the patient’s life. Acetazolamide has proven effective in preventing the condition, but the only effective short-term treatment is immediate descent to lower altitudes.
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