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Altitude sickness, the mildest form being acute mountain sickness (AMS), is a harmful effect of high altitude, caused by rapid exposure to low amounts of oxygen at high elevation. [ 1 ] [ 2 ] [ 3 ] People's bodies can respond to high altitude in different ways.
Very high altitude = 3,500–5,500 metres (11,500–18,000 ft) Extreme altitude = above 5,500 metres (18,000 ft) Travel to each of these altitude regions can lead to medical problems, from the mild symptoms of acute mountain sickness to the potentially fatal high-altitude pulmonary edema and high-altitude cerebral edema .
Treatments such as exposure and response prevention focus on eliminating safety behaviors due to the detrimental role safety behaviors have in mental disorders. [5] [6] There is a disputed claim that safety behaviors can be beneficial to use during the early stages of treatment. [7]
This window can be extended to 36 hours for ascent to altitude and 48 hours for prolonged exposure to altitude following diving. [10] An alternative diagnosis should be suspected if severe symptoms begin more than six hours following decompression without an altitude exposure or if any symptom occurs more than 24 hours after surfacing. [78]
Chronic mountain sickness (CMS) is a disease in which the proportion of blood volume that is occupied by red blood cells increases (polycythaemia) and there is an abnormally low level of oxygen in the blood . CMS typically develops after extended time living at high altitude (over 2,500 metres (8,200 ft)).
High-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) is a medical condition in which the brain swells with fluid because of the physiological effects of traveling to a high altitude. It generally appears in patients who have acute mountain sickness and involves disorientation, lethargy, and nausea among other symptoms.
The recommended first line treatment is descent to a lower altitude as quickly as possible, with symptomatic improvement seen in as few as 500 to 1,000 meters (1,640 feet to 3,281 feet). [ 2 ] [ 3 ] [ 9 ] [ 20 ] However, descent is not mandatory in people with mild HAPE and treatment with warming techniques, rest, and supplemental oxygen can ...
Acute anxiety caused by travel can be treated with anti-anxiety medication. [6] [7] The condition can also be treated with exposure therapy which works better when combined with cognitive behavioral therapy. [6] [7] [13] Relaxation techniques and education can also be helpful in combination with other approaches. [9] [13] [14]