Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)
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Introduction[edit | edit source]
Acute Mountain Sickness is a self-limiting disease, which would be individually variable, and is considered similar to having a hang-over or a migraine. It can be elicited by initial exposure of non-acclimatised individuals to moderate altitude. Moderate altitude would be above 2000-3000m, and is when acute mountain sickness would start to occur, and will get worse with increasing altitude, thus acclimatisation would be very important for performance. [1]
Prevalence and Risk Factors[edit | edit source]
There is a prevalence of 0-25% at moderate altitudes, which depend on individual physical characteristics. Severe obesity and pulmonary disease are some risk factors to consider.
Living or sleeping at moderate altitude, however, would not cause discomfort from hypoxia. Exposures from a few minutes to a few hours to even greater altitudes (5000-6000m) are too short to cause AMS, and would be tolerated by healthy athletes at rest and during exercise. In addition, life-threatening high-altitude pulmonary and cerebral oedema seldom occur below 3000-4000m, though this can be the case after several days of exposure at the higher-altitude locations. [2]
The severity of the symptoms of AMS progressively increase with higher altitudes. These can be assessed with the Lake Louise scoring system.
Symptoms can include a headache, and one of:
Treatment and Prevention[edit | edit source]
AMS can be treated by rest and can be prevented by slow or gradual ascent.
Resources[edit | edit source]
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References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Bergeron MF, Bahr R, Bartsch P, Bourdon L, Calbet JAL, Carlsen KH, Castagna O, Gonazalez-Alonso J, Lundby C, Maughan RJ, Millet G, Mountjoy M, Racinais S, Rasmussen P, Singh DG, Subudhi AW, Young AJ, Soligard T, Engebretsen L. International Olympic Committee consensus statement on thermoregulatory and altitude challenges for high-level athletes. British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2012:46:770-779.
- ↑ Bergeron MF, Bahr R, Bartsch P, Bourdon L, Calbet JAL, Carlsen KH, Castagna O, Gonazalez-Alonso J, Lundby C, Maughan RJ, Millet G, Mountjoy M, Racinais S, Rasmussen P, Singh DG, Subudhi AW, Young AJ, Soligard T, Engebretsen L. [https://bjsm.bmj.com/content/46/11/770.long International Olympic Committee consensus statement on thermoregulatory and altitude challenges for high-level athletes.] British Journal of Sports Medicine. 2012:46:770-779
- ↑ Mohajeri S, Perkins B.A, Brubaker P.L, Riddell M.C. Review article - Diabetes, trekking and high altitude: recognizing and preparing for the risks. Diabetic Medicine. 2015:32:1425-2437
