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High altitude illness
- 1. HIGH ALTITUDE ILLNESS By:- ROHIT MISHRA
- 2. Definition • High-altitude illness, or sickness, is a condition that can occur when your body doesn’t get enough oxygen. • It is a common problem people have when they go to the mountains. • When you go from low to high altitudes, your body has a hard time adjusting to the change in oxygen levels.
- 3. CAUSES
- 4. All people are susceptible to altitude illness, but to varying and largely unpredictable degrees.
- 5. WHERE??.. • Most cases are seen at elevation above 8,000 ft., although it is observed as low as 5,000 ft.
- 6. PHYSIOLOGY • Increased in respiratory rate and depth • Increases blood pH • Increase urination to buffer the change
- 7. Physiology of altitude acclimatization • Increase in red blood cell production • Increase in the ability to efficiently carry and use oxygen
- 8. PREVENTION • Maintain hydration • Maintain nutrition • Climb high and sleep low • Ascend gradually; 2,000 ft./day above 8,000 ft. • Pay attention to past history of altitude illness. • Consider prophylactic use of diamox (acetazolamide). • Maintain a high index of suspicion for any changes in behaviour or ability to walk. • Avoid alcohol and vigorous exercise.
- 9. ACUTE MOUNTAIN SICKNESS • It is a common discomfort experienced at elevation. • is the negative health effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation.
- 10. SYMPTOMS OF AMS Mild AMS feels much more like a hangover
- 11. Severe AMS • Altered LOR/ataxia • Rales (fluid sounds in lungs) • Cyanosis, shortness of breath at rest • Poor overall impression (lassitude → unresponsiveness →death)
- 12. HIGH-ALTITUDE CEREBRAL EDEMA • High-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) is a medical condition in which the brain swells with fluid because of the physiological effects of traveling to a high altitude.
- 13. PHYSIOLOGY • Susceptible individuals have increased cerebral blood flow and increased intracranial pressure (ICP). • Neurologic compromise results from increasing ICP.
- 14. Sign and Symptoms • Any of those associated with AMS • Altered LOR • Ataxia • Nausea/vomiting • Vision disturbances (tunnel vision, blindness, etc.) and/or hallucinations • Unresponsiveness → death
- 15. HIGH ALTITUDE PULMONARY EDEMA • A progression of AMS in which fluid accumulates in the alveoli and membranes of the lungs. • Pulmonary function decreases as fluid accumulates. • It is the most common cause of non- traumatic death at elevation.
- 16. Sign and symptoms • Any of those associated with AMS or HACE • Shortness of breath • Weakness • Rales (sound of fluid in lungs) • Coughing fits • Bloody or pink frothy sputum • Cyanosis • Unresponsiveness → death
- 17. Treatment of altitude illness • Hydration, rest and nutrition for mild AMS. • Descent for severe AMS, HAPE or HACE. • Supplement oxygen, if available. • Pressure breathing (pursed lips during exhalation) • Gamow bag for hyperbaric oxygenation, if available. • Medication available by prescription: acetazolamide, dexamethasone, albuterol
- 18. Criteria for altitude illness • Hypoxia from high elevation puts a stress on the body than can mimic, hide or exacerbate other medical problems.
- 19. THANK YOU