title: Reverse association between high-altitude headache and nasal congestion.
abstract: No evidence is available to show that nasal congestion is a manifestation of exposing an individual to high altitude and hypoxia. Since both nasal congestion and high-altitude headache are vasogenic, we explored whether there is a coincidence between these two symptoms. A prospective observational study was carried out on a cohort of 118 adults (>18 years old) in a mountain clinic at 3450 m. After 24 h of ascent, an interview was held to ask if each individual experienced acute mountain sickness symptoms (headache, etc.) and nasal congestion. Sixty-six (55.9%) individuals mentioned headache within 24 h after ascent and nasal congestion was reported by 34 (28.8%) individuals. There was a reverse association between headache and nasal congestion (P < 0.001). In conclusion, there is a reverse association between altitude headache and nasal congestion, probably as result of contradictory autoregulation effects or exaggerated sympathetic activity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Shariati Hospital, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Jafarian
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Gorouhi
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lotfi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006261:Headache / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009666:Nose / Q000473:pathology; D012120:Respiration Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000209:etiology*