The Effects of Altitude on Everest

Located in Tibet next to the Nepal border, Mount Everest is the highest mountain on the world, and its 8,488 meters of height have a strong effect on climbers. The first people to conquer Everest were Sir Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay. They reached the summit on May 29th 1953 and since then over 2,700 individuals made around 4,000 ascents. However, Mount Everest is an inhospitable place. In the effort to reach the top at least 200 people have lost their lives; most of them in the "death-zone" altitudes above 8,000 meters where the effects of altitude are strongest.

  1. Altitude Sickness

    • Altitude sickness, or acute mountain sickness (AMS), is a set of signs and symptoms that collectively describe the various disorders and their complications caused in the body at high altitudes, usually above 2,500 meters above sea level. AMS is usually a mild disorder, which manifests itself as headache, loss of appetite, shortness of breath, rapid fatigue, and in most cases it does not require a medical intervention. It rarely progresses to cerebral and pulmonary edema, which can cause serious consequences including of coma and death. The best way to prevent altitude sickness is to ascend slowly, which gives the body a sufficient time for acclimatization. The treatments of altitude sickness include cessation of further climbs and fast descent to the lowest elevation, especially if signs and symptoms persist or deteriorate.

    High Altitude Cerebral Edema

    • High Altitude Cerebral Edema (Oedema cerebri acuta) is a secondary disorder caused by abnormal volumes and accumulations of fluids and sodium in the brain. In fact, it is a "final phase" in development of altitude sickness disease and it is characterized by changes in mental status or ataxia.

    High Altitude Pulmonary Edema

    • High altitude pulmonary edema is a form of pulmonary edema that occurs as a result of rapid ascents. It also appears in people who permanently live in high mountains, after several weeks of their stay at low altitudes. If HAPE is not properly treated, the consequences can be fatal. Altitude sickness usually precedes the appearance of acute high altitude pulmonary edema.

    Acclimatization

    • Altitude acclimatization is a biological and psychological process of adaptation for living on high altitudes. It is a slow and gradual response to changes in barometric air pressure at the attained height, which enables the body to stay and live in conditions of insufficient oxygen (hypoxia). Hypoxia is a state when the amount of oxygen in cells and tissues is reduced, which leads to the disturbance in the functioning of organs, systems and cells. Hypoxia activates a series of integrated physiological changes. These changes in the body functions are intended to increase the supply of tissues and cells with oxygen. It mostly occurs in those parts which are directly related to the delivery of oxygen, such as cardiovascular and respiratory system, but these changes can occur in all other systems of the body.