Altitude illness

doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7395.915

BMJ 2003;326:915-919 ( 26 April )

Clinical review

Altitude illness

P W Barry, consultant paediatric intensivist ^a, A J Pollard, senior lecturer in paediatric infectious diseases ^b.

^a Department of Child Health, University of Leicester, Leicester LE2 7LX, ^b Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford OX3 9DU

Correspondence to: P W Barry pwb1@le.ac.uk

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Altitude illness is common in people ascending to more than 2500 metres, especially if the ascent is rapid. In most casesit will manifest as a mild, self limiting illness but in a fewcases it will progress to more severe, life threatening forms.This article explains the symptoms and available treatments

As more people travel to high altitudes for economic or recreational purposes, altitude medicine has become increasingly important.Doctors may be asked to give advice to people planning an excursionto high altitudes or to help with patients while they themselvesare travelling. Altitude illness should be anticipated in travellersto altitudes higher than 2500 metres, although for most it willbe mild, and self limiting, and will not require the interventionof a doctor. Rarely altitude illness may progress to more severeforms, which can be life threatening. The best method of preventingaltitude illness is to ascend slowly, . . . [Full text of this article]

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