Cerebral form of high-altitude illness

Author:

Houston, Charles S., Dickinson, John

Title:

Cerebral form of high-altitude illness

Periodical:

The Lancet

Year:

1975

Volume:

306

Pages:

758-761

Subject:

Altitude mountain sickness (AMS) Cerebral edema Acute mountain sickness (AMS) Altitude hypoxia

Summary:

Due to an increase in the numbers of people who rapidly travel to high altitudes, without allowing for adequate acclimatization, has been accompanied by a sharp rise in the number of serious cases of various types of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Of these, are the two most serious forms of AMS -- pulmonary and cerebral edema. Reported here, are twelve cases of altitude illness in which cerebral signs and symptoms were dominant and several patients presented with pulmonary edema, retinal hemorrhage, thrombophlebitis and pulmonary embolism, bronchopneumonia, and coronary-artery disease. In two cases, where evacuation was delayed, two patients died. As a result, it is reported that the most effective way in which to prevent severe high altitude illness lies in a slow ascent to altitude, although in one case, the rate of climb was well within the recommended limit. However, should one experience severe altitude illness, the recommended management is a rapid descent to low altitude and the rapid medical management of cerebral or pulmonary edema at the earliest presentation of these conditions. In cases where this is done, the prognosis for a full recovery is good.

Label:

Altitude Mountain Sickness (AMS)

Date:

1975

Collection:

Periodicals