Altitude Sickness On Mt Kilimanjaro
Games Guy | January 31, 2012
Altitude sickness is by and large the number one reason for many people failing to make the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro. Air at the summit of Africa’s highest peak contains only about half the amount of oxygen at sea level. Altitude sickness occurs due to the fact they body cannot adapt quickly enough to the reduced lack of oxygen as one gains altitude. Altitude sickness is extremely common in most people who ascend to an altitude over 3000m. The general rule worldwide when it comes to hiking up mountains is, never ascend more than 300m per day and for every 1000m you ascend take a day’s rest. What makes climbing Kilimanjaro so difficult is the fact that these rules are near enough ignored by most tour companies, which is ultimately what makes the mountain so treacherous to climb in the first place.
The Variations Of Altitude Sickness
Altitude sickness can be categorised into three distinct types, the most common of which can often be managed on the mountain whereas the other two types often require one to be evacuated off the mountain for treatment.
Altoxia
Whilst trekking on Mt Kilimanjaro statistics show that over 75% of people will experience at least some form of mild altitude sickness caused by the body’s failure to adapt to the reduced oxygen levels. This type of altitude sickness is known as Altoxia and this term is solely used on Kilimanjaro due to the facts it’s one of the only mountains in the world where high altitudes are encountered so quickly. Altoxia’s symptoms include headaches, nausea, vomiting and mild swelling of face, ankles and fingers.
HAPE: High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema
In simple terms this means you have water in your lungs and consequently are breathless at rest, have a very high pulse and you cough up a pink fluid called sputum. The only cure for this is to descend down the mountainside rapidly.
HACE : High Altitude Cerebral Oedema
Also known as ”swelling of the brain” whose symptoms are severe headaches, repeated vomiting, mental confusion and a loss of balance. The condition is deemed fatal unless the hiker descends down the mountain rapidly. Although hikers shouldn’t be scared of these conditions, if you decide to push on through it and continue your accent there is a possibility you may die.