High-Altitude Sickness:
The recent death of a trekker from Kerala due to high-altitude sickness (HAS) or Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) while attempting to scale a peak in Uttarakhand has brought attention to the dangers of trekking in the mountains.Popular trekking routes often exceed 3,000 meters, increasing the risk of AMS among unacclimatised trekkers.High-altitude sickness occurs when individuals ascend rapidly to elevations above 2,400 meters, without adequate acclimatisation.As altitude rises, both air pressure and oxygen levels drop, causing hypoxia, which is a shortage of oxygen in the body’s tissues.Symptoms include headaches, nausea, fatigue, and shortness of breath.
