Altitude Sickness More Likely Than Thought

If you have big lungs relative to your body size then you're less likely to develop HAPE - High Altitude Pulmonary Edema - is one of the conclusions of a study in this month's medical journal 'The Lancet'. But the study also showed that altitude sickness is a far more general risk than previously thought.

In a study, scientists spent three months on the summit of 4559-metre Monte Rosa in the Alps where they tested 262 climbers for the signs of HAPE, the deadly altitude-related condition where climbers' lungs fill with fluid which can be fatal. Not only did they find that their theory about lung size was correct, they also discovered that far more climbers than they thought were suffering from some symptoms of the condition.

In total some 15 per-cent of the summiteers showed clinical signs of HAPE, but more widely, the study found: 'our data suggest that three of every four healthy, recreational climbers have mild subclinical HAPE shortly after a modest climb.'

The study concludes that: 'The risk of HAPE might not be confined to a small group of genetically susceptible people, but likely exists for most climbers if the rate of ascent and degree of physical effort are great enough, especially if lung size is normal or low.'

For climbers the conclusions seem to be that if you have big lungs relative to your bodyside your risk of suffering HAPE is lower, but there's no magic genetic get-out for anyone, so if you are going to be climbing high, it's crucial that you acclimatise properly.

For full and largely incomprehensible details, check out The Lancet web site. The full report is available on the site, but you have to register for access. Alternatively, Outsidemag.com has a comprehensive news report on the study.