Altitude/Mountain Sickness

Mild altitude sickness or acute mountain sickness:
Symptoms may include:

Severe altitude sickness, high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) or high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE):

Symptoms may also include:

Shortness of breath at rest, fast heart beat, dry cough, pink frothy phlegm or sputum, or crackling sound in lungs (HAPE)
Severe headache, altered vision, disorientation, hallucinations, seizures, and coma (HACE)

1. Descend to Lower Altitude

For mild acute mountain sickness, the person may be able to stay at current altitude to see if his or her body adjusts. If symptoms don’t get better in 24 to 48 hours or if they get worse, the person should go down to a lower altitude and seek immediate medical care.
For severe symptoms, the person should immediately be taken down 1,500 to 2,000 feet with as little exertion as possible. Keep going down until symptoms go away. Get medical help right away as waiting could cause serious problems or even death.
Even if symptoms are mild, the person should not go any higher in altitude until symptoms are completely gone.

2. Treat Symptoms

3. See a Health Care Provider

If mild symptoms persist after descent, call a health care provider.
For severe symptoms, the person should see a doctor as soon as possible, even if symptoms go away after descent.

SOURCES:

FamilyDoctor.org: "High Altitude Illness: How to Avoid It and How to Treat It."

CDC: "Altitude Illness."

American Heart Association: "High Altitude Sickness."

American College of Emergency Physicians: "Getting High: AMS, HACE, and HAPE."

Schimelpfenig, T. NOLS Wilderness First Aid, Stackpole Books, 1991.

Weiss, E. A Comprehensive Guide to Wilderness Travel, Adventure Medical Kits, 2005.

International Society of Mountain Medicine: "An Altitude Tutorial."

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