Symptoms and causes of Altitude Sickness

Occasionally our NC State Wolf Treks trips take travelers to high altitudes. In locations such as Peru (we have a spring trip scheduled), Tibet or Ecuador, travelers can experience altitude sickness, which occurs when you cannot get enough oxygen from the air. This causes symptoms such as a headache and loss of appetite. It happens most often when people who are not used to high altitudes go quickly from lower altitudes to 8,000 feet or higher. You may get a headache when you drive over a high mountain pass, hike to a high altitude or arrive at a mountain resort. Mild altitude sickness is common. In the United States, more than 20 percent of the people who visit the western mountains experience it. Experts do not know who will get it and who will not. Your age, sex or physical fitness play no role in whether you get altitude sickness.

The symptoms of altitude sickness include:

• headache. The headache is usually throbbing. It gets worse during the night and when you wake up.
• loss of appetite.
• Nausea. You may vomit.
• Feeling weak and lazy. In severe cases, you do not have the energy to eat, dress yourself or do anything.
• Inability to sleep at night.
• Dizziness.

Your symptoms may be mild to severe. They may not start until a day after you have been at a high altitude. Many people say altitude sickness feels like having a hangover. Altitude sickness can affect your lungs and brain. When this happens, symptoms include being confused, not being able to walk straight (ataxia), feeling faint and having blue or gray lips or fingernails. When you breathe, you may hear a sound like a paper bag being crumpled. These symptoms mean the condition is severe, and travelers should seek immediate medical assistance. Altitude sickness be deadly.