Theophylline improves acute mountain sickness.

The prevention of acute mountain sickness – the effect of theophylline and acetazolamide in prevention of acute mountain sickness

Does theophylline really improve acute mountain sickness?

Fischer et al. [1] report that theophylline improves acute mountain sickness (AMS). This is of high interest, as there may be an adenosine-sensitive mechanism of hypoxic respiratory control and therapy, with a specific adenosine antagonist like theophylline, which may potentially influence respiratory adaptation to hypoxia. However, recent studies in human and animal experiments, which sought t...

Respiratory rate within the first hour of ascent predicts subsequent acute mountain sickness severity.

BACKGROUND Altitude illness results from hypobaric hypoxia at altitudes higher than 2500 meters above sea level. To determine whether vital signs can be used as predictors for severe acute mountain sickness, we carried out a prospective observational study. METHODS A cohort of 90 individuals (male/female ratio: 2; age: 13 - 65 years) in a mountain hotel's clinic at 3450 meters in Iran were st...

Theophylline and acetazolamide reduce sleep-disordered breathing at high altitude.

A randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled study was conducted to evaluate the effects of theophylline and acetazolamide in the treatment of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) after fast ascent to high altitude (3,454 m). The study was conducted at a high-altitude research laboratory and included 30 healthy male volunteers. Study medication was either oral slow release theophylline (2x250 mg ...

Acute mountain sickness is related to nocturnal hypoxemia but not to hypoventilation.

The purpose of the study was to investigate determinants of acute mountain sickness after rapid ascent to high altitude. A total of 21 climbers were studied ascending from <1,200 m to Capanna Regina Margherita, a hut in the Alps at 4,559 m, within <24 h. During their overnight stay at 4,559 m, breathing patterns and ventilation were recorded by calibrated respiratory inductive plethysmography a...