Abstract
Objective
Thousands of people set out daily to climb the world’s highest mountains in hopes of summiting. However, altitude illness accounts for many aborted or failed summit attempts. Annually, more than 10,000 climbers attempt to summit Mount Rainier, although many develop signs and symptoms of altitude illness, thus hindering their climbs. Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is largely preventable; therefore, we evaluated prevalence of AMS among climbers as well as their understanding of the signs and treatment of AMS.
Methods
This survey study evaluated a convenience sample of climbers and hikers who arrived at Camp Muir, Mount Rainier (10,188 feet). The study was conducted between August 2010 and August 2012. Investigators ascended on 6 separate dates to the study site to collect data. The primary outcome was incidence of AMS according to Lake Louise criteria. Climbers also were evaluated on the percentage of correct answers on a 3-question multiple-choice test regarding the signs, symptoms, and treatment of AMS, high altitude cerebral edema, and high altitude pulmonary edema.
Results
Three hundred eight climbers participated in the study, of whom 32 did not indicate presence or absence of headache and thus were excluded from evaluation of AMS. Sixty-eight (25%) of the remaining climbers met the criteria for AMS. Forty-eight multiple question tests were incomplete and therefore not analyzed. Of the remaining 260 tests, 112 people (43%) correctly answered the 3 questions. Seventy-eight climbers (36%) could not report a single correct treatment option for AMS.
Conclusions
Since data were first recorded in 1853, the number of climbers visiting Mount Rainier has steadily increased. However, the understanding of altitude illnesses is lacking, despite a high prevalence of AMS. A greater understanding of AMS, its identification and management, and preventive measures would benefit this population.