CHM 1711 Lecture Notes - Lecture 5: Mount Everest, Pulmonary Edema, Cerebral Edema
22 Sep 2017
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Document Summary
Instantly transported from sea level to the summit of mount everest, you would lose consciousness and lapse into a coma within seconds because of lack oxygen. High altitude = 3000 m (10 000 ft) above sea level. Highest permanent human habitations are mining settlements in the andes at an altitude of 5340 m. The decrease in the density of the air at altitude means it contains less oxygen: cells that do large amount of work, such as muscle cells, need proportionately more oxygen and exercise further increases their demands, Paul bert: lack of oxygen (hypoxia) was the main cause of mountain sickness. Chinese were the first to document the effects of altitude: fever, lose of colour, headache, vomiting. Greeks found themselves breathless at the top of mount olympus (2900 m) The fertility and fecundity of women is unaffected, but spanish children born in altitude die at birth or within the first two weeks of life.
