Title – The Andes
Date – October 2006
Location - Peru
The Andes is one of the world’s great mountain ranges and runs the length of South America’s west coast, for some 4,500 miles and up to 300 miles wide, making it the longest mountain range in the world. With the highest peak rising to 22,841 feet (6,962m), Aconcagua is the highest mountain outside of Asia.
With the average height of the Andes being above 13,000 feet (4000m) altitude sickness should be a real concern to everyone travelling in this part of the world.
It is not thought that altitude sickness is related to age, gender or physical fitness, although fitness will certainly help you overcome it more quickly. With high altitude defined as above 8000 feet (2400m), very high altitude as above 12,000 feet (3650m) and extreme high altitude 18,000 feet (5,500m), much of the Andes would fall within the very high altitude bracket. There is no full proof rule to avoiding altitude sickness and it can affect anyone at any height. The symptoms include; headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, loss of appetite, fatigue, shortness of breath, disturbed sleep, general feeling of malaise, decreased co-ordination (ataxia), confusion, tightness in the chest, and a persistent cough bringing up white, watery, or frothy fluid, confusion, and irrational behaviour.
Date – October 2006
Location - Peru
The Andes is one of the world’s great mountain ranges and runs the length of South America’s west coast, for some 4,500 miles and up to 300 miles wide, making it the longest mountain range in the world. With the highest peak rising to 22,841 feet (6,962m), Aconcagua is the highest mountain outside of Asia.
With the average height of the Andes being above 13,000 feet (4000m) altitude sickness should be a real concern to everyone travelling in this part of the world.
It is not thought that altitude sickness is related to age, gender or physical fitness, although fitness will certainly help you overcome it more quickly. With high altitude defined as above 8000 feet (2400m), very high altitude as above 12,000 feet (3650m) and extreme high altitude 18,000 feet (5,500m), much of the Andes would fall within the very high altitude bracket. There is no full proof rule to avoiding altitude sickness and it can affect anyone at any height. The symptoms include; headache, nausea, vomiting, dizziness, loss of appetite, fatigue, shortness of breath, disturbed sleep, general feeling of malaise, decreased co-ordination (ataxia), confusion, tightness in the chest, and a persistent cough bringing up white, watery, or frothy fluid, confusion, and irrational behaviour.
The best way to avoid altitude sickness is to slow your accent rate when hiking, to avoid reaching heights quickly and rest to acclimatise at regular intervals. To treat it, sever cases should seek medical attention, but the first thing to do is descend a minimum of 300m and at least 600m for more severe cases, but generally descend as much as you can. In the milder cases this descent alone will eventually lead to the symptoms slowly disappearing.
Beyond The Blue was created on the basis that prevention is better then a cure and through our Gap Year and Independent Travel Safety & Awareness workshop we help individuals planning trip to a new part of the world to prepare properly for both the exciting experiences as well as those that would be better avoided. We also examine the subject of Travel Health and what to do in the case of an emergency.
Please visit our website at www.safegapyear.com
Image – © Heather Spalton
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