A 40 year old man had an episode of severe pulmonary oedema at 4000-5000 m during the ascent of the Margherita peak (5109 m) of Mount Stanley on the Ruwenzori. He had taken acetazolamide and high dose dexamethasone to treat symptoms of acute mountain sickness. Six years before he had been studied by right heart catheterisation as a healthy volunteer during hypoxic breathing at sea level. His pu...

In high-altitude climbers, the kidneys play a crucial role in acclimatization and in mountain sickness syndromes [acute mountain sickness (AMS), high-altitude cerebral edema, high-altitude pulmonary edema] through their roles in regulating body fluids, electrolyte and acid-base homeostasis. Here, we discuss renal responses to several high-altitude-related stresses, including changes in systemic...

Nepal, the home of the highest mountain peaks, is one of the most popular trekking destinations in the world. The Himalaya begins where other mountain ranges leave off. Local farmers have cut small terrace fields on the slopes of colossal gorges which have been carved out by large glacial fed rivers. Everest Base Camp located at an altitude of 5,360 metres (17,590 ft) is 1,000 meters higher tha...

The increased prevalence of high altitude sickness such as Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE), and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) are related to the increasing popularity of mountain climbing as an adventure sport; and the increasing ease, and decreasing cost of travel to popular climbing tourist destinations. This precludes the usual preparations and adapt...

Acute mountain sickness was known to the Chinese in ancient times, as they traversed mountain passes between the Great Headache and Little Headache mountains into present-day Afghanistan. The Jesuit priest, Father Joseph Acosta, lived in Peru during the sixteenth century; he described both this syndrome and deaths which occurred in the high Andes. The incidence of high-altitude illness will ris...

We read with interest the article titled ‘Obesity is a risk factor for acute mountain sickness: a prospective study in Tibet railway construction workers on Tibetan plateau’1. Role of obesity, as acknowledged by the authors, has been debatable in acute mountain sickness (AMS). Authors of this study have reported increasing Lake Louise (LL) score both at 12h and 24h of exposure to high altitude ...

This paper describes the treatment of a severe case of acute mountain sickness with a portable hyperbaric chamber. A 37-year old climber was treated for acute high altitude pulmonary oedema, which developed on the North Col of Mount Everest, at an altitude of 7,060 m. The treatment in the portable Gamow bag hyperbaric chamber lasted two hours, with a bag pressure of 103 mm Hg (0.136 kg/cm2 or 2...

Severe acute mountain sickness accompanied with multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) is a severe, critical mountain illness characterized by high altitude pulmonary or cerebral edema, complicated by 24 hours of unresponsiveness to treatment and the dysfunction or failure of 2 or more organs. Not only is it a severe illness with a high mortality rate, but the treatment for it, is also very...