The bloody harvest of Elbrus: who is killed first by mountain sickness

In the mountains the pressure is high or low

To begin with, let's remember the high school physics course, which explains why and how atmospheric pressure changes depending on altitude. The higher the area is above sea level, the lower the pressure there.

It is very simple to explain: atmospheric pressure indicates the force with which a column of air presses on everything that is on the surface of the Earth.

Naturally, the higher you rise, the lower the height of the air column, its mass and the pressure exerted will be.

In addition, at altitude the air is rarefied, it contains a much smaller number of gas molecules, which also immediately affects the mass. And we must not forget that with increasing altitude, the air is cleared of toxic impurities, exhaust gases and other “delights”, as a result of which its density decreases and atmospheric pressure drops.

Studies have shown that the dependence of atmospheric pressure on altitude differs as follows: an increase of ten meters causes a decrease in the parameter by one unit.

As long as the altitude of the area does not exceed five hundred meters above sea level, changes in the pressure of the air column are practically not felt, but if you rise five kilometers, the values ​​​​will be half the optimal ones.

The strength of the pressure exerted by the air also depends on the temperature, which decreases greatly when rising to a higher altitude.

For the level of blood pressure and the general condition of the human body, the value of not only atmospheric pressure, but also partial pressure, which depends on the concentration of oxygen in the air, is very important.

In proportion to the decrease in air pressure, the partial pressure of oxygen also decreases, which leads to an insufficient supply of this essential element to the cells and tissues of the body and the development of hypoxia.

This is explained by the fact that the diffusion of oxygen into the blood and its subsequent transportation to the internal organs occurs due to the difference in the partial pressure of the blood and the pulmonary alveoli, and when rising to a high altitude, the difference in these readings becomes significantly smaller.

How does altitude affect a person's well-being?

The main negative factor affecting the human body at altitude is the lack of oxygen. It is as a result of hypoxia that acute disorders of the heart and blood vessels, increased blood pressure, digestive disorders and a number of other pathologies develop.

Hypertensive patients and people prone to pressure surges should not climb high into the mountains and it is advisable not to take long flights. They will also have to forget about professional mountaineering and mountain tourism.

The severity of the changes occurring in the body made it possible to distinguish several altitude zones:

• Up to one and a half to two kilometers above sea level is a relatively safe zone in which no special changes are observed in the functioning of the body and the state of vital systems. Deterioration in well-being, decreased activity and endurance are observed very rarely.
• From two to four kilometers - the body tries to cope with the oxygen deficiency on its own, thanks to increased breathing and taking deep breaths. Heavy physical work, which requires the consumption of large amounts of oxygen, is difficult to perform, but light exercise is well tolerated for several hours.
• From four to five and a half kilometers - the state of health noticeably worsens, and it is difficult to perform physical work. Psycho-emotional disorders appear in the form of high spirits, euphoria, and inappropriate actions. When staying at such a height for a long time, headaches, a feeling of heaviness in the head, problems with concentration, and lethargy occur.
• From five and a half to eight kilometers - it is impossible to do physical work, the condition worsens sharply, and the percentage of loss of consciousness is high.
• Above eight kilometers - at this altitude a person is able to maintain consciousness for a maximum of several minutes, after which deep fainting and death follows.

For metabolic processes to occur in the body, oxygen is necessary, the deficiency of which at altitude leads to the development of altitude sickness. The main symptoms of the disorder are:

• Headache.
• Increased breathing, shortness of breath, lack of air.
• Nose bleed.
• Nausea, attacks of vomiting.
• Joint and muscle pain.
• Sleep disorders.
• Psycho-emotional disorders.

At high altitudes, the body begins to experience a lack of oxygen, as a result of which the functioning of the heart and blood vessels is disrupted, arterial and intracranial pressure increases, and vital internal organs fail. To successfully overcome hypoxia, you need to include nuts, bananas, chocolate, cereals, and fruit juices in your diet.

Effect of altitude on blood pressure levels

When rising to a high altitude, a decrease in atmospheric pressure and thin air cause an increase in heart rate and an increase in blood pressure. However, with a further increase in altitude, blood pressure levels begin to decrease.

A decrease in the oxygen content in the air to critical values ​​causes depression of cardiac activity and a noticeable decrease in pressure in the arteries, while in the venous vessels the levels increase. As a result, a person develops arrhythmia and cyanosis.

Not long ago, a group of Italian researchers decided for the first time to study in detail how altitude affects blood pressure levels. To conduct research, an expedition to Everest was organized, during which the participants’ pressure levels were determined every twenty minutes.

During the hike, an increase in blood pressure during ascent was confirmed: the results showed that the systolic value increased by fifteen, and the diastolic value by ten units. It was noted that the maximum blood pressure values ​​were determined at night. The effect of antihypertensive drugs at different altitudes was also studied.

It turned out that the drug under study effectively helped at an altitude of up to three and a half kilometers, and when rising above five and a half it became absolutely useless.

When your head starts to hurt before a thunderstorm, and every cell of your body feels the approach of rain, you begin to think that this is old age. In fact, this is how millions of people around the globe react to changing weather.

This process is called weather dependence. The first factor that directly affects well-being is the close relationship between atmospheric and blood pressure.

What is atmospheric pressure

Atmospheric pressure is a physical quantity. It is characterized by the action of the force of air masses on a unit of surface.

Its magnitude is variable, depending on the altitude of the area above sea level, geographic latitude and is associated with the weather. An atmospheric pressure of 760 mm Hg is considered normal .

It is with this value that a person experiences the most comfortable state of health.

What does the change in atmospheric pressure depend on?

A deviation of the barometer needle by 10 mm in one direction or another is sensitive to humans. And pressure drops occur for several reasons.

Seasonality

In summer, when the air warms up, the pressure on the mainland drops to its minimum values. In winter, due to heavy and cold air, the barometer needle reaches its maximum value.

Times of Day

In the morning and in the evenings, the pressure usually rises slightly, and in the afternoon and midnight it becomes lower.

Zoning

Atmospheric pressure also has a pronounced zonal character. The globe is divided into areas with a predominance of high and low pressure. This happens because the Earth's surface warms up unevenly.

At the equator, where the land is very hot, warm air rises and areas of low pressure are formed . Closer to the poles, cold, heavy air descends to the ground and presses on the surface. Accordingly, a high pressure zone is formed here.

Does pressure increase or decrease in the mountains?

Let's remember the geography course for high school. As you gain altitude, the air becomes thinner and the pressure decreases. Every twelve meters of ascent reduces the barometer reading by 1 mmHg. But at high altitudes the patterns are different.

See the table for how air temperature and pressure change with altitude.

Altitude above sea level, m Air temperature, ° C Atmospheric pressure, mm Hg.

Source: https://sovterror.ru/v-gorah-davlenie-povyshennoe-ili-ponizhennoe/

Mountain peaks for the unprepared: personal experience — DRIVE2

In this article I will talk about our experience of prolonged stay at high altitudes.

I’ll immediately make a reservation that we, like the vast majority of jeepers, are unprepared people and I will argue from this bell tower, so that climbers and residents of the highlands can safely pass by.

The rest will be able to pick up a number of useful tips here, a list of medications that will be useful in the mountains, and will find the answer to the hackneyed question “is there a place for children on such trips?”

The human body functions best at sea level altitude. As you gain altitude, atmospheric pressure drops and after rising to a height of about 2100 meters above sea level, the saturation of the body with oxyhemoglobin (hemoglobin protein associated with oxygen) also begins to fall. The body responds to this with adaptive reactions - high-altitude acclimatization and/or mountain sickness.

Manifestations are as follows: deterioration of health, lethargy, rapid heartbeat, dizziness, shortness of breath during physical exertion, drowsiness and at the same time sleep disturbance, headache, decreased appetite, nausea, change in the taste of food, dry throat, bleeding, euphoric states alternating with apathy, and in extreme cases, pulmonary and cerebral edema.

The miner is no joke!

The first "fast" mountains.

Is preparation necessary? Our first acquaintance with the mountains happened in the Caucasus in January 2021, when we went up and down by car several times to an altitude of more than 2000 meters for 1-2 days, and also visited the most popular ski slopes in Russia: Tseya, Dombay, Cheget, Elbrus . Like all normal people, we took the ski lifts to the “final” stations: 2500, 3168, 3050 and 4200 meters, respectively.

Full size

Dombay, 3168 m.

Actually, all lovers of alpine skis and boards indulge in this. In a good way, nothing should happen from such one-time quick descents and ascents (neither poor health, nor adaptation). Therefore, we did not take any special measures before and during the ascent. There were no negative sensations, except for rapid fatigue and slight shortness of breath during serious physical exertion (digging a road in a meter thick snow).

Caucasus, Belenkaya plateau, height 2235 meters. After such a cop, anyone will lose their breath