Very low prevalence of acute mountain sickness in teenagers after rapid ascent to 3454 m

Abstract

Acute mountain sickness (AMS) is a frequent and debilitating complication of high‐altitude exposure. After a rapid ascent to tourist destinations located above 3000 m, as many as 60% of an adult population are affected. Circumstantial evidence suggests that children and teenagers may be even more susceptible to AMS than adults, but direct evidence is lacking. We, therefore, performed serial assessments of AMS (Lake Louise Score, LLS) in 48 teenagers (mean±SD age, 13.7±0.3 yrs; 20 girls and 28 boys) 6, 24, 48 hrs after arrival at the Jungfraujoch high‐altitude research station (3454 m) reached after a 2 hr ascent by train. The major new finding was that 6 hrs after arrival, AMS (LLS≥3) was present in only 22% of the subjects (mean score 4.1±0.4, range 3–7). The incidence of AMS was similar in both genders and steadily declined during the stay (17% at 24 hrs, 8% at 48 hrs). None of the subjects needed pharmacological treatment other than paracetamol. In conclusion, in teenagers the incidence of AMS after rapid arrival at an altitude where major high‐altitude tourist destinations are located world‐wide, is surprisingly low, benign, and resolves rapidly. These findings challenge the notion that teenagers are more susceptible to AMS than adults. They suggest that for the vast majority of teenagers, travel to these altitudes is safe and does not necessitate pharmacological prophylaxis for AMS.Grant support: Swiss National Science Foundation.