Metabolic disorders confronted in high-altitude regions.

Abstract

There are various metabolic disorders that occur in non-acclimatized person after rapid ascent to high altitude. People permanently residing at elevations are adapted to this habitat by birth but many issues are faced by lowlanders who ascend to higher terrains for orology, sports, photography, tourism or other recreational activities, reason being differences in the environmental conditions like the air density, oxygen level, UV exposure, hardness of water etc. It usually begins within a few hours of ascent and takes few days to weeks (subjective from person to person) to get acclimatized to such conditions. The major as well common disorders include acute mountain sickness (AMS), gastrointestinal symptoms (nausea, anorexia), tachycardia, high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) presenting with dyspnea cyanosis, blood pressure fluctuation, high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE) skin irritation, epiphora (eye watering) etc.Ascending steadily is the safest way to avoid altitude sickness. Pre-travel assessment and other components of high-altitude patient management should be taken care of. In addition to this dietary intake such as antioxidants, carbohydrates and iron-rich foods often play a significant role in prevention of such diseases at high-altitudes.