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Causes of Altitude sickness

The main cause is going too high, too quickly. The condition is caused by the body’s response to a reduction in oxygen supply to the muscles and brain, which in turn requires the heart and lungs to work harder causing breathing and pulse rates to increase. Red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body, are made in greater numbers.

However, the body’s efforts to cope with low oxygen also results in a number of changes to blood acidity, lung pressure, electrolytes, fluid and salt balance. In a small number of cases, typically at above 3500m (11000ft), two potentially life-threatening complications occur: fluid accumulates in the lungs (high altitude pulmonary oedema) or in the brain (high altitude cerebral oedema).

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