Neurológia pre prax 4/2015

Acute mountain sickness

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a syndrome or a continuum of medical conditions ranging from mild headache to a polysymptomatic life-threatening condition with an underlying combination of cerebral oedema with pulmonary oedema. The common feature of these diagnoses is exceeding the altitude and performance capacity in a particular person during a rapid ascent to high mountain grounds without adequate acclimatization. The review article deals with the clinical presentation of AMS, the pathophysiology, and options of effectively preventing its development or subsequent therapeutic procedures required.

Keywords: high altitude, hypoxia, altitude illness, mountain sickness.