An overview of high altitude and mountain sickness

Abstract

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) refers to the impact of the environment on body health at high elevations. It is classified into three based on the onset condition, namely, AMS, high-altitude cerebral edema, and high-altitude pulmonary edema. This type of sickness is a signal that tells the human body to adapt to the environment at 2500 m or above elevation, wherein low air pressure and oxygen will impair bodily functions. The Lake Louise AMS scale was created to assess the condition in adults. It was first developed in 1991 and remains a useful scale to help diagnose the severity of AMS. It was updated in 2018, in which sleep disturbance was removed as an indicating symptom.

Keywords

• acute mountain sickness
• high altitude sickness
• high-altitude cerebral edema
• high-altitude pulmonary edema
• lake louise acute mountain sickness scale