Active ascent accelerates the time course but not the overall incidence and severity of acute mountain sickness at 3,600 m
Beth A. Beidleman, Peter S. Figueiredo, Steven D. Landspurg, Jon Femling, Jason Williams, Janet E. Staab, Mark J. Buller, J. Philip Karl, Aaron J. Reilly, Trevor J. Mayschak, Emma Y. Atkinson, Timothy J. Mesite, Reed W. Hoyt
Abstract
This research demonstrated that active ascent accelerated the time course but not overall incidence and severity of acute mountain sickness (AMS) following rapid ascent to 3,600 m in unacclimatized lowlanders. Active ascenders became sicker faster and recovered quicker than passive ascenders, which may be due to differences in body fluid regulation. Findings from this well-controlled large sample-size study suggest that previously reported discrepancies in the literature regarding the impact of exercise on AMS may be related to differences in the timing of AMS measurements between studies.