Prevention, assessment and management of altitude sickness
Abstract
With the growing prevalence of adventure holidays and international travel, exposure to the extremes of altitude is becoming more and more common. With this increase in adventure travel the need for expedition medics is expanding, although education in this area is understandably lacking from most medical and allied health professional core training. This article provides a brief overview of the pathophysiology, assessment and management of high-altitude disorders. It does not discuss the complex issues surrounding pre-expedition planning.
With the increased frequency of expedition and adventure travel, more individuals are being exposed to the dangers of altitude sickness, though it has been identified that a majority of high-altitude travellers are naive to the dangers of altitude sickness (Glazer et al, 2005). As a UK healthcare professional, high-altitude disorders are seldom covered in any depth on British undergraduate courses; however, there are a number of training courses and post-graduate awards that are available to prepare practitioners for dealing with these disorders.
Although proper planning and preparation can decrease the chances of suffering from altitude sickness, these disorders can still prove serious and often fatal, even to experienced climbers. Early recognition and appropriate treatment may mean the difference between life and death for this patient group, and a good understanding of the underlying causes and pathophysiology, as well as a good grasp of the appropriate assessment and treatment of these conditions, could prove life saving.
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