Newswise — Even well-trained athletes can succumb to acute mountain illness, otherwise known as altitude sickness, when they ascend too rapidly to higher elevations to engage in skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing and other rigorous winter activities.
Experts caution that anyone traveling to higher elevations this winter for holiday vacations or weekend ski trips should remember to prepare for altitude changes to avoid a gamut of potential health-related symptoms that can range from minor light-headedness to serious complications such as high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE), or brain swelling.
Thankfully, HACE is extremely uncommon at elevations found in North America; most cases occur above 15,000 feet. In fact, most people can travel comfortably by car to elevations above 10,000 feet without experiencing major side effects.
However, rapid ascent combined with rigorous physical activity at even moderately high elevations " anywhere from a mile above sea level and up " are the two most common triggers of altitude sickness in the Rocky Mountain West, warn health experts.
"If you are not exerting yourself, you may not feel any symptoms, especially if you are going up quickly and coming down quickly," said Vaughn Browne, MD, PhD, an emergency physician at University of Colorado Hospital, an associate professor at the CU School of Medicine, and a team member of the Colorado Center for Altitude Medicine and Physiology (CCAMP), one of the world's premier center's for high-altitude medicine.
"Most people who drive through the Rockies may not feel any symptoms," Browne added.
Strenuous physical activities at higher elevations, combined with cold and low humidity, tax the body's oxygen supplies and worsen the symptoms of acute mountain sickness, including headaches, confusion, dizziness, impaired judgment and coordination, upset stomach, vomiting, and insomnia. In worst-case scenarios, people have to be given supplemental oxygen, and taken rapidly to a much lower elevation for immediate emergency medical care.
Because of these potential health effects, Dr. Browne said it was important for visitors from lower elevations to prepare themselves well in advance of any planned winter vacations in the Colorado Rockies or other high-altitude destinations. His recommendations apply to those who live in Colorado at lower elevations, but are traveling to the high country over the holidays.
Topping Dr. Browne's list of recommendations is for travelers to stay in Denver, which is at 1 mile above sea level, or another intermediary elevation for at least one night before continuing to final holiday destinations in the mountains. Once travelers reach their mountain destinations they should give themselves time to adjust to thinner air and lower oxygen levels before launching into a full day of skiing, snowboarding and other winter sports.
"It's important the first day at altitude to adjust by doing light to moderate exercise," he said. "Even if they are aerobically trained, they still need time to adapt to altitude."
Among Dr. Browne's other recommendations:
* When traveling at altitudes 10,000 feet or higher, do not ascend more than 2,000 feet over a 24-hour period.* Drink plenty of water; hydration is one of the most important tips for those who will be traveling to higher elevations.* Eat smaller, carbohydrate-rich meals, and limit fat and protein intake.* Avoid alcohol.* Finally, in cases involving serious symptoms such as severe headache, decreased levels of consciousness, unsteady gait, repeated vomiting or seizures, travelers should immediately descend to a lower elevation and seek medical attention.
For those who do come down with less serious symptoms, Dr. Browne recommends Motrin for headaches and trips to lower elevations to enable the body to recover.
"There's an old adage in mountaineering: Climb high, sleep low," he said.
Dr. Browne also suggests that travelers headed to the high country consult with their primary care physicians and discuss the use of acetazolamide, a medication that increases carbon dioxide levels in the blood and stimulates breathing. Sold under the brand name Diamox, the drug helps prevent hyperventilation and can be started a day before ascending to higher elevations.
About University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences CenterThe University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center is one of three campuses in the University of Colorado system. Located in Denver and Aurora, Colo., the center includes schools of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, and dentistry, a graduate school and a teaching hospital. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.uchsc.edu.
About University of Colorado HospitalUniversity of Colorado Hospital is the Rocky Mountain region's leading academic tertiary care and referral center, and has been recognized as one of the United States' best hospitals, according to U.S. News & World Report. Located in Denver and Aurora, Colo., the hospital is part of the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center, in the University of Colorado system. For more information, visit the Web site at http://www.uch.edu.
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