Harrison's PodClass: Internal Medicine Cases and Board Prep Ep 159: A 30-Year-Old at High Altitude
Aug 14, 2025
Dive into the challenges of high-altitude health with a case study of a 30-year-old woman heading to Machu Picchu. Learn about acute mountain sickness, its symptoms, and how to differentiate it from other altitude issues. Discover key risk factors like ascent rate and age. Explore acclimatization strategies to mitigate health risks, including hydration techniques and preventive medications. Unravel myths about remedies such as ginkgo biloba in the fight against mountain sickness while emphasizing the value of a gradual ascent.
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Traveler Who Flew Into High Altitude
- A healthy 30-year-old woman flew directly to Cusco and developed symptoms the evening she arrived at ~11,000 ft.
- Her friend physician found no physical findings, illustrating typical AMS presentation without focal signs.
AMS Is A Symptom-Based Diagnosis
- Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a symptomatic diagnosis without physical findings and overlaps with more severe high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE).
- HACE presents with ataxia and altered consciousness and usually lacks focal neurologic deficits.
Rate Of Ascent Drives Risk
- The main trigger for altitude illness is hypobaric hypoxia, but exact mechanisms remain unknown.
- Rate of ascent and prior history of altitude illness are the strongest risk factors for AMS.
