Question

As a class, we decide to take a ski vacation to Aspen, Colorado. The altitude in this area, between the Rocky Mountains' Sawatch Range and Elk Mountains, is around 8000 ft. To put this into perspective, Atlanta is around 1000 ft. What causes your headache and difficulty breathing on the first day? What physiological changes occur that allow you to feel better a couple of days later? Make recommendations to your classmates to help prevent altitude sickness from happening again.

Answer 1

1. The headache and breathing difficulty could be a result of altitude sickness, also known as acute mountain sickness (AMS). The symptoms are caused by the low amounts of oxygen available at higher altitudes.
2. Altitude acclimatization occurs in the body to cope up with decreasing oxygen levels. It lets the body adjust to the lower oxygen level by producing additional red blood cells.
3. Ascend slowly, avoid strenuous activity in the first 24 hours, avoid alcohol and smoking and follow an accimilation regime for the body to develop pre-acclimatization. Acetazolamide can be taken as a preventive measure.