Symptoms & Signs
Symptoms generally associated with mild to moderate altitude illness include:
* Difficulty sleeping
* Dizziness or light-headedness
* Fatigue
* Headache
* Loss of appetite
* Nausea or vomiting
* Rapid pulse (heart rate)
* Shortness of breath with exertion
Symptoms generally associated with more severe altitude illness include:
* Bluish discoloration of the skin (cyanosis)
* Chest tightness or congestion
* Confusion
* Cough
* Coughing up blood
* Decreased consciousness or withdrawal from social interaction
* Gray or pale complexion
* Inability to walk in a straight line, or to walk at all
* Shortness of breath at rest
Diagnosis & Tests
Listening to the chest with a stethoscope (auscultation) reveals sounds called crackles (rales) in the lung, which can mean pulmonary edema.
A chest x-ray may be performed.
Acute mountain sickness: Overview, Causes
Acute mountain sickness: Symptoms & Signs, Diagnosis & Tests
Acute mountain sickness: Treatment
Reviewed By : Jacob L. Heller, MD, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, Clinic. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
