If
you've
flown to
Quito
from sea
level,
you may
feel a
bit
woozy,
sleepless
and
lethargic
- mild
symptoms
of
altitude
sickness
(
soroche
), a
debilitating
and
potentially
dangerous
condition
caused
by the
reduced
oxygen
levels
that
occur at
high
elevations.
At
altitudes
such as
Quito's,
symptoms
will
abate
naturally
if you
rest and
avoid
alcohol
for a
couple
of days,
but if
you're
going to
go much
above
3000m
you
should
be aware
of the
full
risks of
altitude
sickness.
This
debilitating
and
sometimes
dangerous
condition
is
caused
by the
reduced
atmospheric
pressure
and
corresponding
reduction
in
oxygen
that
occurs
at these
elevations.
Basic
symptoms
include
breathlessness,
headaches,
nausea
and
extreme
tiredness,
rather
like a
bad
hangover.
There's
no way
of
predicting
whether
or not
you'll
be
susceptible:
the
condition
seems to
strike
quite
randomly,
affecting
people
differently
from one
place to
another.
The best
way to
avoid it
is by
ascending
slowly
and
allowing
yourself
to
acclimatize
- don't
be
tempted
to whizz
straight
up the
nearest
volcano
without
spending
a night
or two
at
altitude
first.
You
should
also
avoid
alcohol
and salt,
and
drink
lots of
water.
If you
want to
be
really
sure, a
course
of
acetazolamide
(note
that
this is
a
prescription-only
drug in
most
countries,
as it
can be
dangerous
for
people
with
heart
conditions)
effectively
speeds
up
acclimatization,
but also
makes
you
urinate
a lot
and
produces
a
tingling
sensation
in your
fingers
and toes
- you
might
prefer
to carry
it only
as a
precaution,
as it
also
relieves
symptoms
once
developed.
Alternatively,
try the
local
remedy,
coca-leaf
tea
(
mate de
coca
).
In
its more
serious
forms,
altitude
sickness
can be
dangerous
and even
life-threatening.
One to
two
percent
of
people
travelling
to 4000m
develop
HAPO
(high
altitude
pulmonary
oedema),
caused
by a
build-up
of
liquid
in the
lungs.
Symptoms
include
fever,
an
increased
pulse
rate,
and
coughing
up white
fluid;
sufferers
should
descend
immediately,
whereupon
recovery
is
usually
quick
and
complete.
Rarer,
but more
serious,
is
HACO
(high
altitude
cerebral
oedema),
which
occurs
when the
brain
gets
waterlogged
with
fluid.
Symptoms
include
loss of
balance,
severe
lassitude,
weakness
or
numbness
on one
side of
the body
and a
confused
mental
state.
If you
or a
fellow
traveller
displays
any of
these
symptoms,
descend
immediately,
and get
to a
doctor;
HACO can
be fatal
within
24 hours.
Another
concern
for
people
at
altitude
in
Ecuador
is
hypothermia
, an
underestimated
enemy
that's
responsible
for more
deaths
among
trekkers
and
climbers
than
anything
else.
Brought
on by
exposure
to cold,
and when
the body
loses
heat
faster
than it
can
generate
it,
hypothermia
is
greatly
accelerated
when
you're
wet,
tired
and in
the wind.
Wet
clothes
lose
most of
their
insulating
value -
cotton
and down
are
particularly
bad;
wool and
synthetic
materials
generally
retain
more
heat.
Because
early
symptoms
can
include
an
almost
euphoric
sense of
sleepiness
and
disorientation,
your
body's
core
temperature
can
plummet
to
danger
level
before
you know
what has
happened.
Symptoms
include
violent
shivering,
erratic
behaviour,
slurred
speech,
loss of
co-ordination,
and
drowsiness,
and are
much
easier
to spot
in other
people
than
yourself.
Victims
should
be given
dry
clothes,
warm
drinks (slowly)
and
wrapped
in a dry
sleeping
bag.
Make a
fire to
warm
rocks or
canteens
- these
can be
wrapped
up and
placed
where
major
blood
vessels
are near
the skin
(such as
under
arms and
in the
crotch)
and will
help to
raise
the
body's
core
temperature.
In more
serious
cases,
concentrate
on
keeping
the
victim
awake (falling
asleep
will
reduce
body
temperature
even
further).
Take off
their
clothes
and
yours
and jump
into a
sleeping
bag
together,
or
better
still
with a
third
stripped
person,
so the
victim
can be
warmed
from
both
sides -
this is
one of
the best
ways of
restoring
body
temperature.
