BACKGROUND Hypoxemia is the immediate consequence of hyobaric hypoxia, which is the crucial starting mechanism of acute mountain sickness (AMS). The AMS is generally a benign and self-limiting condition which can be prevented by gradual ascent. However, ascent rates recommended for prophylaxis of AMS are far slower than those attempted during military operations and by climbers. OBJECTIVE The...

Altitude illness severely limits operational effectiveness of dismounted Warriors in mountainous terrains. Commanders, therefore, need accurate estimates and predictors of Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), the most common altitude illness, to effectively plan and manage missions to altitude. Purpose The purpose of this project was to utilize the USARIEM Mountain Medicine relational database (26 st...

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...

INTRODUCTION Headache is the most common complication associated with exposure to high altitude, and can appear as an isolated high-altitude headache (HAH) or in conjunction with acute mountain sickness (AMS). The purpose of this article is to review several aspects related to diagnosis and treatment of HAH. DEVELOPMENT HAH occurs in 80% of all individuals at altitudes higher than 3000 meters...

The acute ventilatory response to hypoxia (HVR) and to hypercapnia (CO2VR) was measured in 32 members of two mountaineering expeditions prior to their departure. Both teams made rapid ascents to their base camps at 5200 m and 4300 m and remained there for at least four days. Symptom scores for acute mountain sickness (AMS) were collected daily for these four days. There was a range of AMS from ...

The Everest Marathon in the Nepal Himalayas has been run every 18 months since 1987, from Gorak Shep near Everest Base Camp to Namche Bazaar. This is a 26.2 mile marathon run from a starting altitude of 5184 m above sea level down to 3664 m over exceptionally difficult terrain. The route is predominantly downhill, although there are two steep uphill sections, with the ground underfoot varying f...

Chronic mountain sickness (CMS) represents a variably reversible asynchronous syndrome of secondary polycythemia along with erythrocytosis, erythrocyte aggregation, hemoglobinemia, hemoconcentration, thrombocytopenia, increased whole blood viscosity, fibrinogenemia, prothrombotic state, pulmonary and systemic hypertension, and congestive heart failure, occurring due to hypobaric hypoxia-anoxia-...

BACKGROUND Stress is known to activate or exacerbate dermatoses, but the relationships between chronic stress, job-related stress and sickness absence among occupational hand eczema (OHE) patients are inadequately understood. AIMS To see whether chronic stress or burnout symptoms were associated with cumulative sickness absence in patients with OHE and to determine which factors predicted sic...