Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) with Laura Hall

In this episode, Laura Hall explores Acute Mountain Sickness
(AMS) and the underlying physiology that drives altitude illness.
As atmospheric pressure falls with increasing elevation, the body
struggles to absorb adequate oxygen, triggering symptoms that
often begin as headache, nausea, fatigue, and a “hangover-like”
malaise. While these early features are common and often benign,
Laura highlights how AMS can progress to far more serious and
potentially fatal conditions.


The discussion moves into High Altitude Cerebral Oedema (HACE)
and High Altitude Pulmonary Oedema (HAPE), outlining their
distinct pathophysiology and clinical red flags. Listeners are
guided through key diagnostic cues such as worsening ataxia,
confusion, or altered behaviour in HACE, and breathlessness at
rest, cough, and signs of fluid in the lungs in HAPE.


Preventative strategies are also covered, including the
importance of gradual ascent, appropriate hydration, and the role
of pharmacological prophylaxis such as acetazolamide and, in
selected cases, steroids. From a management perspective, Laura
emphasises that descent and supplemental oxygen remain the
cornerstone treatments for severe altitude illness.


Crucially, this episode reinforces the need for clinical
vigilance: not every unwell patient at altitude has altitude
illness. Clinicians must maintain a broad differential diagnosis
and avoid anchoring bias, ensuring that other serious medical
conditions are not overlooked or misattributed to AMS, HACE, or
HAPE. Read the blog post here:
https://highadventurehealthcare.substack.com/p/acute-mountain-sickness





This Podcast is sponsored by World Extreme
Medicine.


World Extreme Medicine provides internationally recognised
education for clinicians and operators working in pre-hospital,
remote, expedition, humanitarian, and high-risk environments.
Their programmes focus on practical, experience-led learning,
equipping professionals with the skills to make sound clinical
and operational decisions when resources are limited, evacuation
is delayed, and conditions are extreme.


With courses covering expedition and wilderness medicine, hostile
environments, dive medicine, human performance, leadership, and
austere care, World Extreme Medicine brings together a global
faculty with real-world experience from some of the most
challenging settings on earth. To explore courses, free
educational resources, and upcoming webinars, visit:
⁠www.worldextrememedicine.com