Altitude Sickness, Cusco, Puno – Soroche 

Peru Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness: One thing that happens to most people when they arrive at high places like the Peruvian Andes or around Cusco city and different walks (Treks) of adventure; one is exposed to low oxygenation when a person is getting sick of Soroche. Most people worldwide live near the coast or with low sea levels; Kondor Path has some recommendations for an enjoyable holiday in these beautiful places.

Against altitude sickness:

1. Arriving by plane in the Andes: avoid any heavy meals or plentiful, avoid Pisco sour, Cusqueña beer, soft drinks, Coca-Cola, coffee, and cigarettes.
2. Carry Glucose Cora mini tablets that can purchase without a prescription at any pharmacy. Put one tablet in your mouth and feel rapid improvement.
3. Maintaining proper hydration should take 2 to 3 liters of natural water daily.
4. You must maintain a high-energy, light diet and high carbohydrate, fat-free and small amounts several times a day. Avoid exotic food to which the body does not accustom.
5. After arriving in Cusco, you must rest and sleep as long as possible.
6. We recommend a hot coca tea with enough coca leaves and a few drops of lemon.
7. Candies or sweets made of coca leaf are excellent.
8. Always take a cup of hot lemon tea after meals, and at night, it is advisable to be a cup of tea of chamomile or anise.
9. Coca tea, sweets, biscuits, and chocolates made with coca leaves are beneficial during the day; avoid eating them before bed because you cannot sleep.

Altitude and Oxygen Therapy

A disease occurs when you ascend to greater heights of 2000 M / 6,561 Ft. The acute, sub-acute, and chronic manifestations do caused by the lack of sufficient time for acclimatization, increased physical activity, and varying degrees of health.

There are three types of altitude sickness:

1. Acute Mountain Sickness.
2. Sub-acute mountain.
3. Chronic disease of the mountains (Monge’s disease)

Acute Mountain Sickness

Physiological basis of production:

When the pressure decreases to ascend, atmospheric oxygen that produces a response in the organism to compensate for this decrease in oxygen in the following manner:

1. Increased heart rate
2. Increased respiratory rate
3. Redistribution of preferential circulation to the brain, heart, and kidneys

Despite these mechanisms, sometimes the symptoms are present:

Symptoms

The most common are:

1. Tachycardia
2. Tachypnea
3. A headache
4. Asthenia
5. Anorexia
6. Bloating
7. Vertigo
8. Nausea and vomiting
9. Insomnia
10. Oliguria
11. Dyspepsia

There are warning signs that indicate a worsening of the table:

1. Resting heart rate greater than 110/min
2. The respiratory rate at rest is then 24/min
3. Lower Oliguria 700 cc in 24 hours.
4. There are three degrees of altitude sickness:
5. Mild: Where are mainly headache, nausea, and vomiting not very intense, and tachycardia and tachypnea?
6. That is the intensification of symptoms reported and the appearance of others.
7. Grave: In presenting with severe pulmonary edema, cardiorespiratory severe cerebral edema may produce a vital point.

Prophylaxis (prevention):

The following averages may prevent its onset:

• Climate (ascent 2000 m / day
• Use acetazolamide 250 mg every 12 hours from the day before the climb.

Treatment:

1. Adequate hydration 1000 ml required per 1000 meters of climbing
2. Rest
3. Oxygen therapy should initially be instituted at 4-6 liters/min oxygen for 15-30 min, continuing to 2-4 liters/min if it does not yield the acute symptoms.
4. Acetazolamide 250 g every 8 hours for 3-4 days.

Simethicone for meteorism.

If the disease gets worse quickly, lowering the patient indication is two lower levels.