title: Symptoms of infection and altitude illness among hikers in the Mount Everest region of Nepal.
abstract: Symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS) and infection were recorded daily in 283 hikers walking the Mount Everest base camp trek in the Nepal Himalaya. Some 57% of subjects developed AMS, and 87% experienced at least one symptom of infection during the study period. Coryza (75%), cough (42%), sore throat (39%), and diarrhea (36%) were especially prevalent. All symptoms of infection were more prevalent among those with AMS. The incidence of AMS was greater among those with more symptoms of infection (p = 0.00004), and the number of symptoms of infection experienced with positively correlated with AMS score (rs = 0.43, 95% CI = 0.33 to 0.52). These results suggest that symptoms of infection are common at high altitude and are associated with a higher incidence of AMS. People with infections should ascend at a slower rate at high altitude.
authors.affiliation: Kunde Hospital, Solukhumbu District, Nepal.
authors.forename: D R
authors.initials: DR
authors.lastname: Murdoch
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007239:Infections / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009051:Mountaineering / Q000502:physiology*; D009390:Nepal; D015995:Prevalence; D012141:Respiratory Tract Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016138:Walking