Preparing patients for travel to high altitude: advice on travel health and chemoprophylaxis.

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 on prevention of highaltitude illness.1 Travellers, especially those travelling in organised groups, may not allow adequate time for acclimatisation owing to pressurised itineraries, and administering chemoprophylaxis to accelerate this physiological response to hypobaric hypoxia may be indicated in some cases. This article summarises current recommendations in relation to high-altitude illness, its prevention, and the specific precautions that should be followed by patients with pre-existing chronic illnesses.