Risk Stratification for Athletes and Adventurers in High-Altitude Environments: Recommendations for Preparticipation Evaluation.
High-altitude athletes and adventurers face a number of environmental and medical risks. Clinicians often advise participants or guiding agencies before or during these experiences. Preparticipation evaluation (PPE) has the potential to reduce risk of high-altitude illnesses in athletes and adventurers. Specific conditions susceptible to high-altitude exacerbation also important to evaluate include cardiovascular and lung diseases. Recommendations by which to counsel individuals before participation in altitude sports and adventures are few and of limited focus. We reviewed the literature, collected expert opinion, and augmented principles of a traditional sport PPE to accommodate the high-altitude wilderness athlete/adventurer. We present our findings with specific recommendations on risk stratification during a PPE for the high-altitude athlete/adventurer.
*Family and Sports Medicine, University of Utah Health Care, Salt Lake City, Utah; †Division of Emergency Medicine, University of Utah Health Care, Salt Lake City, Utah; ‡Department of Orthopedics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah; §Bay Area Pulmonary/Critical Care Medical Associates, Berkeley/Oakland, California; and ¶Institute for Altitude Medicine, Telluride, Colorado.
Aaron D
AD
Campbell
Scott E
SE
McIntosh
Andy
A
Nyberg
Amy P
AP
Powell
Robert B
RB
Schoene
Peter
P
Hackett
D000532:Altitude Sickness / Q000517:prevention & control*; D056352:Athletes; D006801:Humans; D009051:Mountaineering; D010808:Physical Examination / Q000379:methods; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012449:Safety; D055813:Wilderness Medicine