A disturbance resulting from repeated flying at high altitudes with insufficient oxygen intake.
A condition caused by reduced oxygen in the air above altitudes in 7000 to 8000 feet (3600 metres). Symptoms include headaches, breathlessness, fatigue, nausea and swelling of the face, hands and feet.
Syndrome caused by low oxygen concentration at high altitudes associated with mountain climbing or air travel in unpressurized aircraft. Symptoms include rapid breathing, headache, dizziness, anxiety, or euphoria. Also sometimes called mountain sickness.
A disorder caused by a lack of oxygen at altitudes above 8,000 feet. The disorder occurs because as altitude increases, both atmospheric pressure and the amount of oxygen available in the atmosphere decrease. Initial symptoms, often referred to as acute mountain sickness, include headache, sleep disturbance, fatigue, shortness of breath, dizziness, and nausea. Symptoms of altitude sickness usually wear off within 24 to 48 hours, as the body adapts to the altitude.
The condition that results from unaccustomed exposure to a high altitude (4500 m or more above sea level). Reduced atmospheric pressure and shortage of oxygen cause deep rapid breathing (‘hyperventilation), which lowers the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood (see alkalosis). Symptoms include nausea, exhaustion, and anxiety. In severe cases there may be acute shortness of breath due to fluid collecting in the lungs (pulmonary edema), which requires treatment by diuretics and return to a lower altitude.
This condition, also known as mountain sickness, occurs in mountain climbers or hikers who have climbed too quickly to heights above 3,000 meters, thus failing to allow their bodies to acclimatise to altitude. The lower atmospheric pressure and shortage of oxygen result in hyperventilation — deep, quick breathing — and this reduces the amount of carbon dioxide in the blood. Nausea, anxiety and exhaustion are presenting symptoms, and seriously affected individuals may be acutely breathless because of pulmonary oedema (excess fluid in the lungs).
Symptoms such as alterations in consciousness, headache, and shortness of breath that occur on exposure to high altitudes (e.g. during aviation or mountaineering).
This condition arises from oxygen deprivation while flying at high altitudes or ascending steep mountains without access to supplemental oxygen. Its symptoms include headaches, rapid breathing, overall physical discomfort, mental distress, fatigue, anxiety, drowsiness, depression, or heightened agitation. Repeated exposure to high altitudes without supplemental oxygen can lead to persistent symptoms such as headaches, mental and physical exhaustion, increased hunger, irritability, nervousness, sleep disturbances, poor concentration, diminished willpower, and a reduced sense of danger while in the air.