Chronic Altitude Sickness in Tibet

Chronic altitude sickness refers to a series of dysfunction symptoms on the high plateau after continuous and long adjustment process on the plateau with high altitude. It is also noted as physical functional disturbance.

Chronic Altitude Sickness in Tibet - Characteristics

The clinical manifestations of the chronic altitude sickness in Tibet vary in different patients. Some of them only have disorder in one system while the others have disturbance in several systems. These symptoms would appear and disappear repeatedly during the stay on the plateau. Mostly, these symptoms would disappear after you back to the plain with much lower altitude.

The chronic altitude sickness and the acute altitude sickness have a lot in common. The patients who can't get relieved from some of the symptoms or all the symptoms of the high altitude sickness after 3 months stay on the plateau are diagnosed to be suffering a chronic altitude sickness. Generally, the chronic sickness is would not greatly threatens to the health or the life of the patients. Some of the patients might suffer a series of symptoms without ant specificity. Hence, it is of vital importance to get rid of the possibility of other diseases while checking the possible chronic altitude sickness patients.

Chronic Altitude Sickness in Tibet – Types

The chronic altitude sickness is divided into 3 types – the gastrointestinal type, the nerve type and the nephropathy type.

Gastrointestinal Type Chronic Altitude Sickness

The gastrointestinal type chronic altitude sickness mainly manifests as anorexia, abdominal distension and chronic diarrhea. Patients suffering this kind of chronic altitude sickness might have 2-3 times diarrhea each day. There is always a stomachache before the diarrhea.

Nerve Type Chronic Altitude Sickness

The nerve type chronic altitude sickness mainly manifests as headache, dizziness, insomnia, dreaminess, temporary faint, hypomnesis and so on. Patients suffer severe nerve type chronic altitude sickness might also have mental and behavior disorder.

Nephropathy Type Chronic Altitude Sickness

The nephropathy type chronic altitude sickness mainly manifests as edema, proteinuria, hematuresis and so on. The patients might suffer the proteinuria and hematuresis independently or at the same time.

Chronic Altitude Sickness in Tibet – Treatment

It is of great importance to relieve the mental burden of the patients. The patients suffering a chronic altitude sickness might loose their confidence in the treatment easily for the effect of the drug therapy would not be very obvious in a short term. The relieving of the mental burden is of great benefit for the improvement of the symptoms. For seek of a better recovery, tourists could also get back to the plain area with better natural environment. Mostly, the chronic altitude sickness would not reappear if you get it treated in the plain completely.

The symptomatic treatment is very important for the recovery of patients suffering a chronic altitude sickness. There are different medicines effective in curing different types of chronic altitude sickness. In addition, patients suffering a chronic altitude sickness should alternate the work with enough rest. Physical training would be very helpful for the recovery. Frequent physical examination in the hospital is necessary in case of any organic lesions.