How to Diagnose and Treat Altitude Sickness

Any time you rapidly increase altitude, whether in a car, on a trail, or while mountain climbing, you run the risk of getting altitude sickness. There are three types of altitude sickness: acute mountain sickness, high altitude pulmonary edema, and high altitude cerebral edema.

Instructions

Difficulty: Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Distilled Water

Diagnosing and Treating Acute Mountain Sickness

1. Watch for symptoms like headache, loss of appetite, flu-like symptoms of lethargy, nausea, and perhaps vomiting and little urine.
2. To treat acute mountain sickness, drink at least 5 liters of fluid per day. The more, the better and force yourself to eat.
3. Do not go to a higher altitude until symptoms disappear and descend if the symptoms do not improve in 24-48 hours or descend immediately if symptoms take a sharp turn for the worse.

Diagnosing and Treating High Altitude Pulmonary Edema

4. Symptoms include extreme weakness and fatigue and extreme shortness of breath combined with a racing heart, even after rest. A dry, raspy cough similar to bronchitis, blue lips and fingernails and gurgling sounds in the chest.
5. Look for a respiration rate greater than 20 per minute after 20 minutes of rest This is considered a threshold, as is a racing heart - greater than 130 beats per minute - after 20 minutes of rest.
6. Take these sypmtoms seriously, this is a critical situation that can kill.
7. To treat high altitude pulmonary edema, immediately descend 2,000-4,000 feet preferably while the victim can still travel under his or her own power. There is no substitute for descent.
8. Keep victims warm as they are vulnerable to hypothermia and use oxygen, if available.

Diagnosing and Treating High Altitude Cerebral Edema

9. Watch for symptoms like a loss of balance, stumbling, extreme headache, confusion and irrationality, temporary blindness, hallucinations and coma.
10. Be extremely careful this situation is critical and can quickly kill.
11. To treat high altitude cerebral edema, descend 2,000-4,000 feet minimum. The more, the better. There is no substitute for descent.
12. Radio for help if possible, as this person will need to be treated immediately. Not doing so can lead to coma or death.

Tips & Warnings

• If symptoms persist or if you have specific medical conditions or concerns, we recommend you contact a physician. This information is not intended as a substitute for professional medical advice or treatment.