Altitude sickness.
BACKGROUND
Up to half of people who ascend to heights above 2500 m may develop acute mountain sickness, pulmonary oedema, or cerebral oedema, with the risk being greater at higher altitudes, and with faster rates of ascent.


METHODS
We conducted a systematic review and aimed to answer the following clinical questions: What are the effects of interventions to prevent, and treat, acute mountain sickness? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library and other important databases up to January 2007 (Clinical Evidence reviews are updated periodically, please check our website for the most up-to-date version of this review). We included harms alerts from relevant organisations such as the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).


RESULTS
We found 11 systematic reviews, RCTs, or observational studies that met our inclusion criteria. We performed a GRADE evaluation of the quality of evidence for interventions.


CONCLUSIONS
In this systematic review we present information relating to the effectiveness and safety of the following interventions: acetazolamide, dexamethasone, gingko biloba and slow ascent.
Murdoch
David
D
Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
D000532:Altitude Sickness; D014481:United States; D014486:United States Food and Drug Administration