Friday, March 4, 2011

Altitude Sickness

When visiting Cusco or hiking one of the beautiful trails located in Cusco, it is important to have in consideration that altitude sickness is a possibility.

In Cusco, when a person leaves a plane coming from sea level, the lack of oxygen is easily noticeable. When oxygen is thinner in higher altitudes, it is possible to experience some difficulty to breath and other uncomfortable symptoms. It is important to know that not every single person is going to experience altitude sickness. Unfortunately, there is no way to know if you are going to get sick until you are there. In addition, studies have shown that being in good physical shape does not reduce the risk of getting altitude sickness.

Most of the time, altitude sickness symptoms can be first felt at about 7,000 feet above sea level. The risk of getting altitude sickness increases the higher the altitude. This risk is even higher when a person gains more than 1,500 feet (500 meters) of elevation in just a few hours and that person has not had an acclimatization process.

Some of the regular symptoms of a moderate altitude sickness are strong headache, dizziness, nausea, stomach pain, and sometimes nose bleeding. The symptoms of severe altitude sickness are severe and persistent headache, persistent vomiting, loss of coordination, rapid breathing, marked blueness of face and lips, persistent cough or wet cough, high resting heartbeat (over 130 beats per minute), and strong stomach pain (medical attention is required immediately).

When altitude sickness symptoms are felt and are affecting your hike, you should go back in search of lower elevations (usually, this helps and symptoms start going away). If symptoms persist, you should visit a doctor immediately.

In order to reduce the risks of getting altitude sickness, some recommendations can be followed. Please read them below:
  • You might first visit a lower city located at 6,000 feet or lower. Arequipa (the Colonial City) is a good choice and you won't regret your visit to this beautiful town. This is usually the best way to go when visiting high altitude cities.
  • If time does not allow a visit to a mid or low altitude city prior your visit to Cusco, your first day in Cusco should be very quiet with light meals (just take it easy and relax). Also, you should arrive to Cusco or another high altitude city at least two full days prior to starting a high energy activity such as hiking the Inca Trail.
  • Another recommendation to reduce the risk of getting altitude sickness is to take some over the counter medicine or drink coca leaf tea constantly. If you decide to take some over the counter medicine, please make sure you do it at least 48 hours prior to your arrival and you keep taking them until you leave or you are back from your trek. Also, native Peruvians use a natural source to reduce the effects of altitude sickness as well as fatigue. This natural source is the coca leaf and needs to be chewed constantly upon arrival.
  • In addition to the methods mentioned above, you should drink plenty of liquids, avoid high energy activities, and avoid heavy or fatty meals the first day in Cusco.

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