Altitude Adjustment

Continued...

Who's Susceptible?

Surprisingly, being in good shape is no protection against mountain sickness. Studies suggest the young and athletic may even be more susceptible, although the reasons aren't clear. Perhaps it's because highly fit people tend to climb faster. No one really knows why one person is more likely to develop altitude sickness than another.

If you've experienced altitude sickness in the past, you're more likely to get it again. However, just because you went to altitude last time and didn't get sick doesn't mean you won't get sick in the future. The body does adjust to the reduced oxygen at altitude, but this can take three weeks or longer.

Almost immediately upon arriving at altitude, two adaptations occur in your body: an increase in respiratory and heart rates, at rest and during moderate exercise. You may find yourself panting after climbing just a few steps.

Your body also adapts to altitude by Increasing the number of red blood cells to transport oxygen to the muscles, brain and other organs. Climbers who have been at altitude for many weeks have shown an increase of nearly 40 percent in their circulating red blood cells. This adaptation begins soon after reaching altitude, but it may not be completed for two months or longer.

If you are anemic (have a low red-blood-cell count), traveling to high altitudes can seriously reduce your exercise ability. Iron supplementation raises a woman's blood cell count to nearly the same level as a man's count during altitude adaptation.

These adaptations improve your body's oxygen transport system. They are the reason many distance runners train at high altitude. When you return to lower altitude, the increased supply of red blood cells provides more oxygen to exercising muscles. However, these adaptations disappear after three to four weeks at low altitude.

Women who don't experience these adaptations often are the ones who develop mountain sickness. Dehydration and depressants such as alcohol, sleeping pills and codeine can slow your body's adaptation and make you more susceptible to a problem.

What can you do to prevent altitude sickness?

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Foreword: Billie Jean King

Comments by Barb Harris
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