High-altitude cerebral edema typically develops if an individual already has acute mountain sickness. The swollen brain that led to acute mountain sickness becomes worse and starts to disrupt with its functioning. Generally, high-altitude cerebral edema is a severe form of acute mountain sickness.
What are the indications of high-altitude cerebral edema?
- Headache that can be severe
- Vomiting
- Nausea
- Poor coordination or being out of balance
- Disorientation
- Hallucinations
Headache that can be severe develops. - Confusion
These symptoms are not evident to the individual or his/her companions. As cerebral edema worsens, the individual becomes sleepy and less aware of his/her surroundings. In some cases, seizures occur and coma and even death if treatment is not started.
High-altitude cerebral edema develops rapidly in a few hours. It is likely to have symptoms of high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) as well.
Management
The individual should move down to an area with lower altitude right away. If delayed, death is likely to occur. It might be required to descend at night, if possible which can be life-saving.
Treatment using oxygen and steroid medications such as dexamethasone can alleviate the symptoms. Nevertheless, despite these measures, it is still required to descend. The descent must be at least to the last altitude in which the individual woke up feeling well.
A portable hyperbaric chamber can be used which is an sealed bag that is large enough for an individual to fit in that is pressurized using a pump. When the individual with high-altitude cerebral edema is placed within, it provides the same effect during a descent. The individual inhales air equivalent to one that is in a lower altitude. Remember that this is a life-saving measure if descending is not possible and oxygen is not available.
An individual with high-altitude cerebral edema can recover if he/she could descend to an area with lower altitude as soon as possible.
Disclaimer / More Information
The information posted on this page on high-altitude cerebral edema is for learning and educational purposes only. To learn to recognize environmental emergencies such as high-altitude cerebral edema, register for first aid training at one of our training centers located throughout Canada. The training centers are in Edmonton, Calgary, Vancouver, Kelowna, Saskatoon, Surrey, Winnipeg, Toronto, Ottawa and Halifax.