Mountain sickness - a painful condition that occurs in a location at high altitude above sea level due to oxygen starvation (inhalation of thin air). As a rule, there are symptoms of altitude sickness while in the height of more than two thousand four hundred meters above sea level.

Reasons for altitude sickness

Altitude sickness and its characteristic symptoms - a direct consequence of the combination of two factors: the low partial pressure of oxygen in the inspired air and a man of oxygen starvation. The greater the height difference - that is, the faster a person is at high altitude, the more likely the emergence of symptoms of acute mountain sickness. The intensity of the symptoms of the disease depends on the mountain climb rate and intensity of exercise. Most susceptible to altitude sickness people normally living in regions at an altitude close to sea level, and the people are faced with altitude sickness in the past.

Symptoms of altitude sickness

Symptoms of altitude sickness can both cause little discomfort and threaten human life itself. In severe cases, altitude sickness leads to dysfunction of the nervous system, damage to the lungs, the muscles of the heart. In most cases, however, the symptoms of altitude sickness are minor and relatively easy to carry over. These symptoms include:

• Sleep disorders Dreams: how to understand our dreams   (inability to fall asleep quickly)
• Dizziness
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Loss of appetite
• Nausea, vomiting
• Cardiopalmus
• Shortness of breath

On a more serious attack of altitude sickness indicate the following symptoms:

• Change the color to bluish (cyanosis)
• The feeling of tightness of the chest
• Cough, hemoptysis
• Confusion, disorientation
• The pale, grayish skin
• The inability to go straight (or even walk)
• Shortness of breath even at rest

Treatment

It is important to recognize the symptoms of altitude sickness at an early stage, as best to treat the disease at the outset. The first thing to do when it detects the symptoms of altitude sickness - return to normal height: continue to climb in any case it is impossible, it can be life-threatening.

In severe cases of altitude sickness requiring hospitalization with the provision of supplementary oxygen. To normalize the rhythm of breathing and eliminating mild symptoms of altitude sickness can be used acetazolamide - a mild diuretic, which should be taken with plenty of fluid (not recommended to drink alcohol).

If progressive mountain sickness caused swelling Prevention and treatment of edema - it is important to understand the root cause   lungs, treatment may include:

• Supplemental oxygen
• Nifedipine (an antihypertensive drug)
• Phosphodiesterase inhibitors (such as sildenafil)
• In severe cases - to connect to a respirator

Inflammation of the lungs (pneumonia) - a serious disease that requires timely initiated adequate treatment. Otherwise, if such treatment is not carried out, the patient is required to be consequences in the form of numerous complications in the respiratory system and other organs and systems.

The complications of pneumonia are different from the manifestations of the disease

Complication of pneumonia called the development of any changes in the respiratory tract or other organs and systems that are not the direct result of inflammation in the lung tissue. But such changes are associated with underlying inflammatory process and having at its background. Complications can occur in the lungs themselves (pulmonary complications) and in other organs and systems (extrapulmonary complications).

Complications often develop pneumonia or very severe forms of pneumonia (eg, in staphylococcal pneumonia), hardly treatable, or inadequate, untimely treatment of the common focal pneumonia at home.

The danger of such treatment is that the patient often tries to cope with the disease on their own, without the doctor, believing that he had an ordinary bronchitis. Most patients take antibiotics at the same time Antibiotics - whether they will help you in the foreseeable future? . But deceit modern pathogens is that they are often resistant (immune) to most antibacterial agents. This leads to the development of complications.

Pulmonary complications of pneumonia

Very often the first a mild course of the disease dramatically complicated by the addition of septic complications - lung abscesses. This is especially true for the most insidious of pneumonia - staph. Form small abscesses may coalesce together to form large ulcers. After breaking a capsule of abscess pus may break into the bronchi and into the pleural cavity.

A break of a large amount of pus in their bronchial obstruction may occur (obstruction) and develop obstructive bronchitis Bronchitis - protection if the body has malfunctioned Much weighting condition of the patient. By purulent inflammation can join an allergic component and develops first asthmatic bronchitis, which can turn into asthma Bronchial asthma - the body's response inadequate   infectious-allergic origin.

Harmful as a breakthrough of pus in the pleural cavity - the cavity located between the two serous membrane covering the lungs. A break of pus in the pleural cavity and enters the air from the lungs, forming pneumoempyema - a serious condition that requires emergency care.

For staphylococcal pneumonia is also characterized by a destructive process - the destruction of lung tissue. This happens under the action of toxins produced by staphylococci, they dissolve tissue forming huge cavity filled with air. These cavities can later begin processes such as necrosis and gangrene (necrosis of lung tissue) - very heavy processes, the treatment of which often takes place in intensive care. The outcome is fibrosis destructive processes - the proliferation of connective tissue in the lungs, it leads to a decrease in the function of the body - of respiratory failure.

Acute respiratory distress (distress) can develop in toxic damage to the walls of the alveoli. In this case, the alveoli, or clump together (if secretion is suppressed by special agents surfactant), or they propotevaet fluid from surrounding capillaries in violation of alveolar-capillary barrier. In the first case the breathing is disturbed because a matted alveoli can not enter the air and in the second - the alveoli are already filled with fluid. This is one of the most serious complications of pneumonia.

Extrapulmonary complications of pneumonia

The main extrapulmonary complications of pneumonia are cardiovascular complications. Toxic effects on the heart can cause heart muscle that does not cope with the load Bude, leading to edema Prevention and treatment of edema - it is important to understand the root cause   light. Pulmonary edema occurs in violation of the circulation of blood in the pulmonary circulation. Congestion in the lungs leading to alveoli exudation of liquid blood. Lungs fill with fluid and a man suffocates. Pulmonary edema - a serious complication of pneumonia by the cardiovascular system.

In addition, pneumonia may experience heart disease - myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle), endocarditis (inflammation of the lining of the heart), pericarditis (inflammation of the heart bag or outer layer of the heart).

Finally, the serious complications of pneumonia may develop infectious-toxic shock with the simultaneous violation of the activities of all organs and systems, as well as sepsis - getting infectious agents in the blood. And then, and another complication could be the outcome of DIC - intravascular coagulation associated with the release of the destroyed tissue substances that promote the formation of blood clots in the vessels. Disrupted blood flow to all organs and tissues of the patient and if time does not help, he will die.

Galina Romanenko