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High Altitude Extreme
Environment
By Ileana Pai
Environmental conditions
• Altitude is defined on the following scale:
High 8,000 - 12,000 ft.Very High 12,000 - 18,000 ft.Extremely High 18,000+ ft.
• There are alternating daily extremes of climate change, winds are often strong and humidity low, resulting in
rapid dehydration. Second, the air pressure is lower and
humans have difficulty breathing.
Maximum Time Humans Can Cope
There is no way to determine the amount of time that a human can survive at a high altitude. Survival is on an individual basis and it
all depends on their age, sex, physical condition.
Limits Humans Can Endure
• Most people can go up to 8,000 feet (2,438
meters) with minimal effect
• People are able to climb higher if their
bodies have adjusted to high altitudes
Effects OnHumans
Immediate Effects:• Hypervenelation• Fluid loss• Increase in heart
rate• Lowered stroke
volume• High blood
pressure in the lungs
• Symptoms similar to a really bad hangover
Longer Term Effects• Lower lactate
production• Compensatory alkali
loss in urine• Decrease in Plasma
volume• Higher concentration of
capillaries in skeletal muscle tissue
• Right ventricular hypertrophy
• Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction
Three Body Systems Most Affected
The three body systems most effected by high altitudes are the respiratory system, the nervous system, and
the cardiovascular system.
High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (H.A.P.E.)
• Develops after 2 or 3 days at altitudes above
2300 m.• Dangerous build-up of
fluid in the lungs that prevents the air spaces
from opening up and filling with fresh air.
• Can be fatal within hours• Produce white or pink
frothy sputum• Breathless at rest
• Temperature may be elevated
• Must evacuate to a lower altitude
• Impossible to predict who will get H.A.P.E.
• If you have had H.A.P.E. you are more likely to get
it again• Chest infections or vigorous activity while
climbing makes you at a higher risk of getting
H.A.P.E.• Lips turn blue
High Altitude Cerebral Oedema (H.A.C.E.)
• Build up of fluid in the brain causing it to swell• Severe headache, vomiting, and lethargy will progress
to unsteadiness, confusion, drowsiness, and lastly, a coma
• Can kill in only a few hours• 1% of people above 3000 m. get H.A.C.E.
• The faster the assent and the higher the altitude increases ones chance of getting H.A.C.E.
• The cause of H.A.C.E. is unknown• Decent is the most effective treatment but a gamow bag can be used, oxygen, and the drug dexamethasone
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS)
• Common at high altitudes• 75% of people have mild symptoms
• Occurrence of AMS is dependet upon the elevation• Starts between 12-24 hours
• Headache, dizziness, fatigue, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, nausea, disturbed sleep, and a general
feeling of malaise• AMS is considered to be a neurological problem cause
by changes in the central nervous system• Decent is the only cure but the drug diamox can help
you breathe faster to get more oxygen
Proper Clothing and Special Equipment
Required
Gamrow Bag Tents Food and water Lightweight cook
wear Knives
Insulated clothes & shoes
Picks and harnesses Toiletries Matches or fire starter First aid kit
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