Re-Fresh Healthiness

Climbing a mountain is one of the hobbies of some people, usually they are competing to become the fastest to the top of the mountain. However, there is one thing to note, that at any altitude above 3000 meters, Po2 (partial pressure of oxygen) arteries falls below the safe range. People who quickly rise to a height of 3000 meters or more will experience symptoms known as acute mountain sickness.

Acute mountain sickness is a pathological condition caused by acute exposure to low air pressure (the plateau), it usually starts happening at an altitude of 2400 meters. The cause is hypoxia, hypoxic, and alkalosis induced by hypomania. Increased incentive to obtain additional breathing causes oxygen for carbon dioxide respiratory alkalosis is more acid than that produced issued.

Atmospheric pressure is progressively reduced in line with increasing altitude. At an altitude of 5400 meters above sea level, atmospheric pressure is only 380 mmHg, half of its value above the sea. Because the proportion of oxygen and nitrogen gases in the air does not change, air Po2 inspiration is at an elevation of 21% from 380 mmHg or 80 mmHg with a lower alveolar Po2, i.e. 45 mmHg.

Symptoms-Symptoms of acute mountain sickness:

• Nausea
• Loss of appetite
• Panting breathing
• Speeds the heart rate increases because triggered by hypoxia to compensate for the increased delivery of oxygen available to the network through the circulation.
• Nerve dysfunction is characterized by disturbance assessment, shaking dizziness.
• Headache is the main symptom in the diagnosis of acute mountain sickness.

Why people can live in the highlands?
Millions of people live in places with height more than 3000 meters in the Andes and even people living at an altitude exceeding 4800 meters.
How can they live? They do acclimatization process.

When in height, the response in the form of increased compensation for acute respiratory and cardiac output gradually over several days will be replaced by the growing compensation act more slowly to allow adequate tissue oxygenation and acid base balance recovery. Production of red blood cells has increases stimulated by erythropoietin in response to decreased oxygen delivery to the kidney. Hypoxia also led to the synthesis of CRF in the red blood cells, so that oxygen is more easily released from hemoglobin in the network. The number of capillaries in the network increases, so the distance that must be taken by the oxygen to diffuse from the blood into the cell retracts. In addition, cells undergoing acclimatization able to use oxygen more efficiently by increasing the number of mitochondria. Renal artery to restore pH to a level close to normal by holding the acid normally excreted through urine.

However, several peoples on Andes also undergo chronic mountain sickness. This is a more severe form of acute mountain sickness. According to this study is caused by a gene. Those who experience chronic mountain sickness had a disorder of glycolysis and the mitochondrial tricarboxylic acid.

Two serious conditions associated with this disease are:

• High Altitude Pulmonary edema (HaPe) occurs because vasoconstriction in the pulmonary circulation is a constant cause an increase in cardiac output and cause an increase in capillary pressure. Symptoms: dyspnea (shortness of breath) severe breaks, cough dry initially, but then could produce sputum, pink and frothy.
• High altitude cerebral edema (HARE) is caused by vasodilatation of cerebral blood vessels (big brain) in response to hypoxia, resulting in increased blood flow and capillary pressure.

Precautionary measure:

• Acute mountain sickness
  Prevention is by acetazolamide. If developed into acute mountain sickness, then given paracetamol and prohibit the person to climb to higher places.

• High Altitude Pulmonary edema (HaPe)
  Treated with nifedipine and oxygen delivery.
  3. High altitude cerebral edema (HARE)
  Giving oxygen and dexamethasone for treatment.

What can be concluded?

Climbing a mountain can cause shortness of breath because of the reduction of atmospheric pressure in the highlands. It should be noted in mountain climbing began at an altitude of 2400 meters will be state of the so-called acute mountain sickness. Some advised to climb the mountain is slowly so the body can adapt to these differences in atmospheric pressure. If you start feeling the symptoms of acute mountain sickness, it immediately went down and does the climb if symptoms have not disappeared.