Acetazolamide

Altitude or high altitude sickness occurs when someone climbs a mountain really quick into a different pressure. The drop in atmospheric pressure prevents you from taking in adequate oxygen and leads to difficult and hard breathing. Most instances of high altitude sickness are not serious and just cause a headache, dizziness and some nausea. In some cases there is a possibility of fluid build-up in the brain or the lungs which can be extremely dangerous.  

Have you ever felt weak or suffered from a headache when you rode on a plane? Or maybe you felt sick to your stomach and lost your appetite when you hiked up to an elevated location. If something like this has ever happened to you, then you may have been experiencing altitude sickness. This is a general feeling of un-wellness, characterized by specific symptoms, that only affects certain people when they move to high altitudes.

At high altitudes, the air is thinner, this can cause altitude sickness (also known as Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)) as the body adjusts to decreased oxygen levels. There are several methods to avoid and treat altitude sickness. Most of these methods involve reducing stress on the body as it adjusts to higher altitudes.

High altitudes can make dehydration more likely. Water evaporates more quickly from the skin and lungs at high altitude, so your fluid loss may be faster, but you may not notice how much fluid you lose through perspiration, as it dries so quickly. Drinking plenty of water is important to prevent dehydration, but it is also important to maintain your sodium levels, which can be diluted when you drink more water. As you sweat, you also lose salts from your body, so it is important to ensure that both your water and sodium levels are maintained. Rehydration salts and electrolyte drinks are recommended for this. It is also important to avoid caffeine and alcohol as they can contribute to dehydration.  Dehydration can also mask other health problems, therefore it is important to stay hydrated.

Altitude sickness is caused by the low oxygen levels in the air at high altitude. The reduced oxygen can stress the body, but is often resolved by descending. Altitude sickness usually manifests after 6-24 hours at high altitude (over 3000m). Therefore, the skydiver is not at high altitude long enough to suffer from altitude sickness.

Altitude sickness is caused by the low oxygen levels in the air at high altitude. Altitude sickness usually manifests after 6-24 hours at high altitude (over 3000m). Therefore, in a plane you are usually not at high altitude long enough to suffer from altitude sickness. Furthermore, aircraft are usually pressurized, which means that a certain level of oxygen is maintained inside the cabin. The air you breathe will have a higher oxygen content than the air outside.