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Mt Kilimanjaro: Altitude Sickness

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Altitude Sickness Symptoms You Are Likely To Experience On Mt Kilimanjaro!

Air at the summit of Mt Kilimanjaro only contains around half the amount of Oxygen that is present at sea level. Altitude sickness is what most people get as a result of the body not being able to adapt to reduced oxygen levels. Almost everyone that climbs Kilimanjaro will experience altitude sickness in one form or another. The general rule on Kilimanjaro is that you should never ascend more than 300 metres per day and and for every 1000 metres you gain in altitude should you have a day of rest to acclimatise. The main problem with Kilimanjaro is that unlike other extreme peaks in the Himalayas the summit of Kilimanjaro is approached in a couple of days, not a couple of weeks.

The Top Of Africa!!

The Top Of Africa!!
Mt Kilimanjaro
Altoxia

HAPE : High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema
HACE : High Altitude Cerebral Oedema
Climb Kilimanjaro

Altoxia

Almost everyone embarking on a Kilimanjaro climb is likely to experience the symptoms of Altoxia at some point or another. 75% of trekkers are likely to experience Altoxia which is caused by a lack of oxygen in the air. Altoxia can have many different symptoms, the most common being headaches, light headedness, nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting and a mild swelling of the face, ankles and fingers. Although unpleasant the symptoms usually disappear within 48 hours or so, and are only really experienced on the hike up rather than on the way down. If the symptoms of Altoxia don't disappear within 48 hours then there is an inherent risk it may turn into acute mountain sickness, in which case the only option would be to descend back down the mountain.

HAPE : High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema

HAPE in simple terms refers to "water in the lungs" and is characterized by coughing up a pink fluid called sputum, breathless at rest, a crackling sound in the chest and a very high pulse. When faced with these symptoms on Mt Kilimanjaro the only thing you are able to do is to descend down the mountain until you begin to feel better. There are no cures for these symptoms and failure to ignore them and continue ascending up the mountain could potentially prove to be fatal.

HACE : High Altitude Cerebral Oedema

HACE, in simple terms refers to a "swelling in the brain", which carry symptoms such as very severe headaches, severe loss of balance, mental confusion and repeated vomiting. This condition can prove fatal unless you rapidly descend down to a lower altitude. There is also no cure for these symptoms and failure to ad head to instructions to descend down the mountain will eventually prove fatal. This talk shouldn't scare people from attempting to climb Kilimanjaro but understand that if you decide to continue your accent when suffering from AMS, HAPE or HACE then you will probably die.