Abstract
At any point 1–5 days following ascent to altitudes ≥2500 m, individuals are at risk of developing one of three forms of acute altitude illness: acute mountain sickness, a syndrome of nonspecific symptoms including headache, lassitude, dizziness and nausea; high-altitude cerebral oedema, a potentially fatal illness characterised by ataxia, decreased consciousness and characteristic changes on magnetic resonance imaging; and high-altitude pulmonary oedema, a noncardiogenic form of pulmonary oedema resulting from excessive hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction which can be fatal if not recognised and treated promptly. This review provides detailed information about each of these important clinical entities. After reviewing the clinical features, epidemiology and current understanding of the pathophysiology of each disorder, we describe the current pharmacological and nonpharmacological approaches to the prevention and treatment of these diseases.
Abstract
Lack of acclimatisation is the main risk factor for acute altitude illness; descent is the optimal treatment http://ow.ly/45d2305JyZ0
Footnotes
Previous articles in this series: No. 1: Adir Y, Bove AA. Can asthmatic subjects dive? Eur Respir Rev 2016; 25: 214–220. No. 2: Szpilman D, Orlowski JP. Sports related to drowning. Eur Respir Rev 2016; 25: 348–359. No. 3: van Ooij PJAM, Sterk PJ, van Hulst RA. Oxygen, the lung and the diver: friends and foes? Eur Respir Rev 2016; 25: 496–505. No. 4: Mijacika T, Dujic Z. Sport-related lung injury during breath-hold diving. Eur Respir Rev 2016; 25: 506–512.
Conflict of interests: None declared.
Provenance: Submitted article, peer reviewed.
- Received September 13, 2016.
- Accepted October 23, 2016.
- Copyright ©ERS 2017.
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