Objective To assess whether acetazolamide (Az), used prophylactically for acute mountain sickness (AMS), alters exercise capacity at high altitude. Methods Az (500 mg daily) or placebo was administered to 20 healthy adults (aged 36±20 years, range 21-77), who were paired for age, sex, AMS susceptibility and weight, in a double-blind, randomised manner. Participants ascended over 5 days to 455...

Background. This study was designed to evaluate the incidence of acute mountain sickness (AMS) occurring on different climbing routes on Mount Damavand and the effect of beginning time of ascent in Iranian trekkers. Methods. This study was a descriptive cohort investigation, performed in summer 2007. All trekkers who ascended Mount Damavand from northern, western, eastern, and southern paths an...

March 2012, Vol. 102, No. 3 SAMJ 2. Sky News. Bahrain docs face jail despite torture claims. 22 November 2011. http://news.sky.com/ home/world-news/article/16115007 (accessed 17 January 2012). 3. Baldwin-Ragaven L, de Gruchy J, London L. An Ambulance of the Wrong Colour. Health Professionals, Human Rights and Ethics in South Africa. Cape Town: UCT Press, 1999. 4. Gray B, Ockelford P. Bahrain he...

To the Editor: On January 28, 2014, a group of 26 trekkers (aged 29 to 65 years), under the supervision of the authors, ascended one of the world’s highest mountains (Mt. Kilimanjaro, 5895 m) in 48 hours (Figure 1). While doing so, the group appears to have broken new medical ground, utilizing a new method to largely prevent, and as needed, reverse, symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS). Se...

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) and large decrements in endurance exercise performance occur when unacclimatized individuals rapidly ascend to high altitudes. Six altitude and hypoxia preacclimatization strategies were evaluated to determine their effectiveness for minimizing AMS and improving performance during altitude exposures. Strategies using hypobaric chambers or true altitude were much mo...

AIM To determine the variation of hemoglobin (Hb) in two groups of miners working at different altitudes. METHODOLOGY A longitudinal study conducted in a private company. Hb was obtained from entrance exams and annual checks of workers at two locations: at sea level and at Peruvian highlands (4,100 m), taken by trained staff and equipment calibrated to environmental conditions. We analyzed va...

OBJECTIVES The aim of the present study was to estimate the incidence of acute mountain sickness (AMS) and address the changes in arterial oxygen saturation (SaO2) and heart rate (HR) in native Tibetans who reascend to the high-altitude city of Lhasa (3658 m) after a 7-year stay at low altitude. METHODS We followed two cohorts of students aged 17-21 years (859 Native Tibetan and 801 Han Chine...