Acute mountain sickness

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Respiratory system

High altitude cerebral edema; Altitude anoxia; Altitude sickness; Mountain sickness; High altitude pulmonary edema

Symptoms generally associated with mild to moderate altitude illness include:

• Headache
• Difficulty sleeping
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea or vomiting
• Fatigue
• Dizziness or light-headedness
• Rapid pulse (heart rate)
• Shortness of breath with exertion

Symptoms generally associated with more severe altitude illness include:

• Cough
• Shortness of breath at rest
• Chest tightness or congestion
• Bluish discoloration of the skin
• Coughing up blood
• Inability to walk in a straight line, or to walk at all
• Decreased consciousness or withdrawal from social interaction
• Confusion

• Gray or pale complexion (cerebral edema)

Listening to the chest with a stethoscope (auscultation) reveals sounds called crackles in the lung, which can mean pulmonary edema.

A chest x-ray may be performed.

Review Date: 03/21/2006
Reviewed By: Eric Perez, MD, Department of Emergency Medicine, St. Luke's-RooseveltHospital Center, New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed HealthcareNetwork.