Altitude Effects on the Human Body

Why Does High Altitude Affect Our Body?

The human body was not made to handle the drastic change in the atmospheric conditions at high altitudes.These include fast decrease in temperature, lack of oxygen, change in atmospheric pressure, etc.

Psychological Effects

High altitude exposure can result in changes of senses. This includes vision, taste, etc. Also mood and personality can be affected. These effects are directly related to altitude and are mostly common at over 3,048m(11,154ft).

Acclimatization

(Adapting)

Most Serious Conditions Related to High Altitudes

Acclimatization eliminated altitude illness. Acclimatization is maintained as long as remained at the same altitude. Your body loses acclimatization after several days upon return to lower altitudes. Eighty to Ninety percent of adaption occurs in fourteen to thirty days of staying at the same altitude.

Acute mountain sickness may strike anyone who reaches above 8000 feet above the sea level. This can cause other more serious sicknesses. If a person spends more time in these conditions, their blood cell count increases serious problems.

The Effects It Has On The Human Body

There are a lot of effects that can occur but the most common effects of high altitude are hypoxia(lack of oxygen), hypothermia(drop in body temperature), dehydration, loss of appetite, etc. Loss of appetite can affect the human body extremely. If loss of appetite continues, the human body will become very weak very fast.

There Are Also Medical Problems at High Altitude

There are five main medical problems when reaching high altitudes. They are Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS). Chronic Mountain Sickness (Monges disease), High-altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE), High-altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE), and High-altitude Periodic Breathing. The only was to stop these from becoming a big issue is to adapt to the high altitude and to drink a lot of water.

Effects and Advantages

Altitude Effects on the Human Body

By: Andre Allen

Mountain air contains less oxygen than air at sea level. At sea level, air contains 20.9% oxygen, and at 2500 meters the oxygen is down to 15.5%. How this happens is oxygen reduced air is inhaled. The kidneys react on the shortage of oxygen. Once this happens, this stimulates the bone marrow to produce more red blood cells.

Life Threatening Conditions

Some of the life threatening conditions are:

• HACE - fluid build up in the brain.
• HAPE - High blood pressure in the lungs.
• High Altitude Breathing - periods of hyperventilation.
• Hypoxemia - low blood oxygen.
• Hypothermia - extreme cold where the body's core temperature cannot be maintained.
• High Hemoglobin Count - cause strokes, heart attacks, and pulmonary embolisms.

Red Blood Cells

Fluid Shifts

The body knows what it needs to maintain itself and sustain vital organs because the amount of oxygen available decreases at higher altitudes. The body redistributes blood throughout the body. It decreases the amount of blood flowing to digestive organs and increases blood to the brain, heart and lungs. Because more blood is being pumped, this can cause severe headaches.

One way the body adapts to high altitudes is by increasing the amount of red blood cells produced. It takes the body about four to five days to make new red blood cells after that person is exposed to high altitudes for a long period of time. At long periods of time, the person will have 30 to 50 percent more red blood cells than someone at sea level.

Bibliography

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http://phc.amedd.army.mil/topics/discond/ai/Pages/AltitudeEffects.aspx

"Effects of High Altitude on the Human Body." SteadyHealth Info Center. Web. 10 May 2014.

http://ic.steadyhealth.com/effects_of_high_altitude_on_the_human_body.html

"HowStuffWorks "Physiological Effects of High Altitude"" HowStuffWorks. Web. 11 May 2014.

http://adventure.howstuffworks.com/outdoor-activities/climbing/altitude-sickness1.htm

"What Effects Do High Altitudes Have on the Body?" LIVESTRONG.COM. LIVESTRONG.COM, 24 Oct. 2013. Web. 12 May 2014.

http://www.livestrong.com/article/455572-what-effects-do-high-altitudes-have-on-the-body/