Clinico-epidemiological profile of high altitude pulmonary edema

Authors

  • Saibal Adhya Department of Health, Armed Forces Health Services, New Delhi, India
  • Anirudh K. Menon Department of Health, Armed Forces Health Services, New Delhi, India http://orcid.org/0000-0001-9060-6505
  • Sharad Bhatnagar Department of Health, Armed Forces Health Services, New Delhi, India
  • Sanjeev Kumar Singh Department of Health, Armed Forces Health Services, New Delhi, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20205692

Keywords:

Acclimatization, Environmental medicine, High altitude illnesses, HAPE

Abstract

Background: With increase in the footfall to mountainous areas for occupational and recreational purposes, tackling the burden of high-altitude illnesses is a growing public health challenge. High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is a serious medical condition with peculiar epidemiological characteristics. HAPE is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among Indian soldiers posted to high-altitude areas. Aims and objectives of the study were to study the common clinical presentation of HAPE among Indian army soldiers and to study the association between induction patterns and acclimatization status with the onset of HAPE.

Methods: An observational study was undertaken to study the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of all cases of HAPE from years 2016 to 2019, among Indian army soldiers posted to high-altitude areas in Ladakh. Diagnosis was made by the Lake-Louise consensus criteria. Data was entered in Microsoft Excel and descriptive and inferential statistical tools were applied to test for associations between the variables studied.

Results: The overall incidence rate of HAPE was found to be 5.91 per 1,000 soldiers with high frequency among young men. Breathlessness, cough, and headache were the common complaints. 69.45% of cases occurred among men who revisited the mountains after a brief sojourn to the plains. At higher altitudes, incidence rates were higher among acclimatized individuals.

Conclusions: HAPE occurs more frequently during the subsequent visits compared to first exposure to high altitude. At extreme altitudes, acclimatization protocols do not confer complete protection against HAPE.

Author Biographies

Saibal Adhya, Department of Health, Armed Forces Health Services, New Delhi, India

MD (Community Medicine)

Dept of Health, Armed Forces Medical Services

Anirudh K. Menon, Department of Health, Armed Forces Health Services, New Delhi, India

MD, DNB (Community Medicine)

Dept of Health, Armed Forces Medical Services

Sharad Bhatnagar, Department of Health, Armed Forces Health Services, New Delhi, India

MD (Radiology, Radiation Oncology)

Dept of Health, Armed Forces Medical Services

Sanjeev Kumar Singh, Department of Health, Armed Forces Health Services, New Delhi, India

MS (General Surgery), M.Ch (Reconstructive Surgery)

Dept of Health, Armed Forces Medical Services

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Published

2020-12-25

How to Cite

Adhya, S., Menon, A. K., Bhatnagar, S., & Singh, S. K. (2020). Clinico-epidemiological profile of high altitude pulmonary edema. International Journal Of Community Medicine And Public Health, 8(1), 196–200. https://doi.org/10.18203/2394-6040.ijcmph20205692

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Original Research Articles