title: Altitude sickness.
abstract: 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 to treat, acute mountain sickness? We searched: Medline, Embase, The Cochrane Library, and other important databases up to October 2009 (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 17 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, descent versus resting, dexamethasone, gingko biloba, and slow ascent.
authors: Christchurch School of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Otago, Christchurch, New Zealand.
authors: David
authors: D
authors: Murdoch
mesh_terms: D000086:Acetazolamide / Q000627:therapeutic use; D000208:Acute Disease; D000531:Altitude; D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000188:drug therapy; D020441:Ginkgo biloba; D006801:Humans; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000188:drug therapy
chemical_list: D000086:Acetazolamide