Acute mountain sickness (AMS), high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and high altitude cerebral edema (HACE) are the most important and most common altitude-related diseases. Up to altitudes of about 5000-6000m, symptoms of altitude illness are a direct result of inadequate acclimatization. The UIAA Medical Commission has...
The UIAA Medical Commission has produced a dedicated paper on the use of hiking sticks. It was first published in 2008 and is available in Czech, English, German, Italian, Japanese, Polish, Portuguese, Russian and Spanish. Many hikers, mountaineers and climbers use telescopic (hiking) sticks because they...
The tenth in our series exploring the UIAA MedCom’s high-altitude advice focuses on women going to altitude with specific advice for both pregnant and non-pregnant women. This paper was first produced in 2008 and is available in English, Czech, Dutch, German, Italian, Japanese, Persian, Polish, Portuguese,...
Our latest UIAA MedCom advice article focuses on a less technical, less high-altitude related subject. Instead it is directed at general suggestions designed to guide those who are unfamiliar or less experienced with mountain terrain and who wish to hike or climb. This information is...
Portable hyperbaric chambers are designed as lightweight equipment to be used for emergency treatment of severe cases of acute mountain sickness (AMS), high altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPE), and high altitude cerebral oedema (HACE). The devices must be inflated or pressurized by hand or foot pumps....
Visual loss in the wilderness setting is potentially fatal. Firstly it may be a warning sign of a serious systemic problem and secondly the patient may lose their functional independence and ability to respond to objective danger. The issues discussed in the UIAA MedCom paper #20, Eye Problems...
The second in our series exploring a profound human passion for the mountains profiles Jason Williams, New Mexico-based mountain rescuer. Jason's skills and experience cover a wide range of mountain rescue sectors. He is a nationally-registered paramedic and obtained his Mountain Emergency Medicine and Rescue Diploma...
This, the sixth article in the UIAA’s series dedicated to high-altitude medical advice, has a very clear target audience, principally trekking or expedition company operators and their potential clients, notably those on gap years, round the world tickets or taking part in charity events. As the...
Travellers’ diarrhoea is arguably the most common and important health problem affecting travellers. The syndrome occurs in 20-70% of travellers to less developed regions, resulting in significant impairment of the victim’s activities, with nearly 40% forced to change their itinerary. Although contaminated food may be...
In early August, the UIAA published an article promoting a paper produced by its Medical Commission offering climbers pertinent advice related to avoiding the perils of climbing Africa’s highest, and most famous, mountain. The following article, produced by a member of the Mountain Club of South...