Many studies have shown that subjects lose significant amounts of body mass, fat mass as well as fat-free mass, during a climb to and/or a stay at high altitude. Altitude-induced weight loss is mainly caused by malnutrition due to hypoxia-related satiety, independent of acute mountain sickness.

Serum and urine proteins were measured daily in 17 subjects undertaking a typical high altitude Himalayan trek. Marked changes occurred in a variety of serum proteins as a result of plasma volume alterations and 'stress'. There was only a sporadic increase in proteinuria. None of the changes was related to the development of acute mountain sickness.

OBJECTIVE Although few retrospective studies of high altitude have reported that obesity might be associated with the development of acute mountain sickness (AMS), this association has not been fully studied prospectively. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of obesity on subjects with acute high-altitude exposure. PATIENTS AND METHODS Totally 262 male subjects aged 25-43 (mea...

Acetazolamide can be taken at sea level to prevent acute mountain sickness during subsequent altitude exposure. Acetazolamide causes metabolic acidosis at sea level and altitude, and increases SaO2 (arterial oxygen saturation) at altitude. The aim of the present study was to determine whether acetazolamide impairs muscle endurance at sea level but not simulated altitude (4300 m for <3 h). Six s...

Blood lactate concentrations were measured in 18 normal subjects at the end of an exercise test designed to maintain heart rate at 85% of maximum for 15 minutes. Blood lactate concentrations were reduced at high altitude (4846 m) and correlated positively with basal pH and negatively with basal Pa,O2 levels. Blood lactate concentrations tended to be lower in those subjects on acetazolamide but ...

PURPOSE There is an ongoing discussion how to assess acute mountain sickness (AMS) in real life conditions. Next to more-item scales with a cut off like the Lake Louise Self-Report (LLS), some authors suggested to use visual analog scales (VAS) to assess AMS. This study tried to contribute to this question using VAS items used for the Subjective Ratings of Drug Effects, including an additional ...

Reduced tolerance to high altitude may be associated with a low ventilatory and an increased pulmonary vascular response to hypoxia. We therefore, examined whether individuals susceptible to acute mountain sickness (AMS) or high altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE) could be identified by noninvasive measurements of these parameters at low altitude. Ventilatory response to hypoxia (HVR) and hypercap...

British Journal of General Practice, January 2016 e62 INTRODUCTION Travel to altitudes above 2500 m is a popular recreational activity that presents a potential risk of high-altitude illness. Acute mountain sickness (AMS), for example, affects up to three-quarters of trekkers attempting to climb Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, East Africa (5895 m). GPs should be able to provide practical advice ...

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a well-known problem for many mountaineers [1] [2] [3]. The phenomena can appear at elevations as low as 2500m, with symptoms such as headaches, sleep problems, and abnormal fatigue. The technique described here permits recovery of sufficient strength and wellbeing to spend a safe and comfortable night at the same altitude, or to allow a safe descent to a lower ...