acute mountain sickness in the himalayas
Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is a common, debilitating condition that effects travellers to high-altitude. If left untreated, AMS can progress to more fatal conditions such as high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) or high-altitude cerebral edema (HACE).
Although anecdotally we know rates of AMS are high in trekkers to the Himalayas, no large-scale assessment of AMS in this region has been performed. The ATMA Research Team have, therefore, started a pilot project examining AMS rates in the Nepalese Himalayas. We have teamed up with Team Himalaya Pvt. Ltd., a trekking company in Nepal, to measure AMS rates on popular trekking routes. We hope that this information will give us an accurate assessment of AMS rates in the Himalayas. It will also give us information on what routes are safer than others which we can feedback to the local trekking agencies which will allow future travellers to the Himalayas to remain safe on their journeys. If you are traveling to the Himalayas for trekking and would like to participate in this study, please download our AMS data form (right) and complete it during your trek. Once you have returned from your trip you can contact us using the menu button to the top right. |