Paz Alona, Steinfeld Irena, Potasman Israel
Infectious Diseases Unit and Travel Clinic, Bnai Zion Medical Center, Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, Technion, Haifa, Israel.
J Travel Med. 2007 May-Jun;14(3):168-72. doi: 10.1111/j.1708-8305.2007.00119.x.
Acute mountain sickness (AMS) affects almost half of those ascending to heights over 3,000 m. The knowledge and practices concerning AMS have not been adequately studied.
We conducted a prospective on-site study in the Himalayas. Between July and October 2004, we approached a convenience sample of trekkers during or after their ascent to high altitudes and provided them with detailed questionnaires regarding knowledge of and personal experience with AMS.
One hundred ninety-two travelers (of whom 106 were Israelis and 86 Western Europeans) participated in the study. One hundred thirty travelers (68%) had received any written/oral information about AMS prior to their departure. The most common source of information among Israeli travelers was the travel clinic (65%), compared to only 9% among Europeans. Overall, 89% were found to have good "basic knowledge" about symptoms of AMS (defined as headache plus > or =2 of the following: fatigue, dizziness, nausea, insomnia). Travelers who had received information about AMS prior to their trip were significantly more knowledgeable about symptoms of AMS (p= 0.0001), and treatment options, such as oxygen, medications, and rest (p= 0.023, p= 0.024, p= 0.011, respectively). Only 2% of the Israelis versus 16% of the Europeans (p= 0.0004) knew that O(2) was a treatment option. Forty-seven percent suffered from AMS, which in 50% began at 3,000 m. About 33 of 90 (37%) of those who suffered AMS symptoms had acetazolamide with them, but only 14 actually used it as treatment.
Knowledge of AMS among climbers to high altitudes should be fostered, with specific emphasis on practical advice.
急性高原病（AMS）影响着近一半攀登至海拔3000米以上高度的人群。关于急性高原病的知识和应对措施尚未得到充分研究。
我们在喜马拉雅山脉进行了一项前瞻性实地研究。2004年7月至10月期间，我们在徒步旅行者攀登至高原期间或之后，选取了一个便利样本，并为他们提供了关于急性高原病知识和个人经历的详细问卷。
192名旅行者（其中106名是以色列人，86名是西欧人）参与了该研究。130名旅行者（68%）在出发前收到过任何关于急性高原病的书面/口头信息。在以色列旅行者中，最常见的信息来源是旅行诊所（65%），而在欧洲人中这一比例仅为9%。总体而言，89%的人被发现对急性高原病症状有良好的“基本知识”（定义为头痛加上以下症状中的≥2种：疲劳、头晕、恶心、失眠）。在旅行前收到过急性高原病信息的旅行者对急性高原病症状（p = 0.0001）以及治疗选择，如吸氧、药物和休息（分别为p = 0.023、p = 0.024、p = 0.011）的了解明显更多。只有2%的以色列人知道吸氧是一种治疗选择，而欧洲人这一比例为16%（p = 0.0004）。47%的人患了急性高原病，其中50%在海拔3000米时发病。在出现急性高原病症状的90人中，约33人（37%）随身携带了乙酰唑胺，但只有14人实际将其用于治疗。
应加强高海拔登山者对急性高原病的了解，尤其要着重提供实用建议。
