[Preconditions for a stay in high altitude areas in the case of existing health problems].

Various symptoms can arise during a stay in high altitude areas (above 2500 m), such as tissue hypoxia and in particular pulmonary and brain oedema. Patients with existing health problems can expect to develop more complaints or more severe complaints at an earlier stage. For a number of these patients a stay in high altitude areas should be advised against or should only take place if certain measures are taken. The advising physician should have knowledge about the reactions of the human body on hypoxy, and about (derailments of) the acclimatisation proces in high altitude areas. Every patient with a disease that can interfere with hypoxia should be assessed on an individual basis. The most important absolute and relative contraindications are cardiac and pulmonary conditions, haemoglobin abnormalities, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, epilepsy, severe obesity, kidney diseases and pregnancy. In the case of an existing health problem, a stay in high altitude should only be considered if medical care can be quickly and adequately provided on the spot.