What Is Altitude Sickness? Know Causes, Symptoms And Precautions

A 27-year-old man from Noida allegedly died after his health deteriorated due to oxygen deficiency in the high-altitude areas of Leh in Ladakh. Chinmay Sharma, a digital marketing executive in a private firm in Noida, left for Ladakh on August 22 for a solo trip. A few days later, he told his parents on the phone that he was having a headache. His father called the hotel manager in Leh and requested his staff to take him to the hospital. While his parents were on their way to Leh, the condition of the 27-year-old deteriorated further and died during treatment. This is not the first case of death in the mountains. Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is one of the common concerns among the deaths at Leh Ladakh. Dr Karan Mehra, head of the pulmonology department at Fortis Hospital Manesar Gurgaon, was only the doctor treating Chinmay. He explained the exact cause of his death; but in such cases, high altitude sickness is the biggest reason. He said that this happens when the oxygen level in the body decreases and the air pressure starts changing quickly. This causes headache, vomiting, fatigue, difficulty in breathing and rapid nausea. There are mainly three types of high-altitude sickness. Altitude mountain sickness, high altitude cerebral edema and high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). The chances of death are higher in HAPE. Dr Karan Mehra claims that Chinmay must have suffered from altitude mountain sickness.

What happens in the body?

Dr Karan Mehra said that when we climb mountains, then our body is exposed to a different environment with a drop in oxygen level and air pressure. The damage caused by less oxygen is inevitable. Due to increased pressure, the tubes inside the body burst resulting in the leak of water. This water first reaches the lungs and then the brain. When you do not reach the hospital on time, then this water starts spreading throughout the body.

Precautions

Dr Karan Mehra said that if you are not from the mountains and are going to heights, then you must have a health check-up before. You should check the capacity of your lungs. The general rule of this is that while running, your breathing should not be too fast or it should not be beyond your tolerance. Increase breathing exercises before going to the mountain.