[Diagnosis and therapy of acute altitude sickness].
Today we distinguish cerebral (acute mountain sickness AMS, high altitude cerebral edema HACE) and pulmonal (high altitude pulmonary edema HAPE) altitude disorders. Incidence, predisposition and risk factors of all kinds of altitude sickness vary both individually and geographically. For practical reasons the leading symptoms are essential: altitude headache, ataxia and sudden loss of strength. Depending on the severity of symptoms the main emergency measures are: rest, descent or evacuation, warmth. Additional therapeutical measures can be helpful if a sudden evacuation to lower altitudes is delayed: oxygen, portable hyperbaric chamber, ibuprofen/naproxen, nifedipine, dexamethasone. Acetazolamide should not be used as an emergency therapy any more.
Berghold
F
F
Institut für Sportwissenschaften, Universität Salzburg. bergi@eunet.at
D000208:Acute Disease; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001785:Blood Gas Monitoring, Transcutaneous; D001929:Brain Edema / Q000175:diagnosis; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004638:Emergency Treatment / Q000379:methods*; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000175:diagnosis; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D013256:Steroids; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use
D000893:Anti-Inflammatory Agents; D000894:Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal; D013256:Steroids; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D010100:Oxygen