A specialist in high-altitude medicine on Wednesday warned local hikers of the dangers of altitude sickness following reports of multiple deaths on Mount Everest.
Because the body requires more oxygen during strenuous exercise, hiking at high altitudes makes “thin” air seem like it has even less oxygen and pressure, said Wang Shih-hao (王士豪), a former emergency room doctor and general manager of a Taipei-based healthcare consultancy.
The activity makes the body perceive the altitude as higher than it really is, he said.
Photo: AP
As a result, spending too much time on a mountain makes hikers more susceptible to altitude sickness, he added.
Research has shown that performing strenuous exercise at about 4,000m above sea level places the physiological altitude about 500m higher than the physical altitude, Wang said, adding that the difference increases with altitude.
As more people attempt to climb the 100 tallest peaks in Taiwan, they should remember that although some of those mountains are suitable for beginners, the amount of time required to complete them means that hikers are still likely to experience altitude sickness, he said.
For example, it could take more than 12 hours to ascend and descend the main peaks of Yushan (玉山) or Hsuehshan (Snow Mountain, 雪山), or hike from the North Peak to the West Peak of Hehuanshan (合歡山), he said.
Altitude sickness does not develop suddenly, but occurs gradually after reaching a new altitude, he said.
People typically experience altitude sickness a few hours after they have reached the highest physiological altitude of their hike, he said.
Climbers who died on a 1996 expedition on Mount Everest experienced symptoms of altitude sickness before dying of hypothermia, he added.
Wang said that before Taiwanese climbers Lu Chong-han (呂忠翰) and Chang Yuan-chih (張元植) departed for Mount Makalu — which they ascended on May 15 — he gave them the tip of injecting steroids once every six hours on the descent, telling them to call for help if they experienced high-altitude conditions, such as a cerebral edema, acute cerebral failure or pulmonary failure.
Many tourists visit base camps near the 5,000m mark in the Himalayas, he said.
Although the base camps are easy to reach, they are still located at an extremely high altitude, he said, adding that people who want the experience should first visit Hehuanshan to determine whether their body would withstand conditions in the Himalayas.
UPGRADE: The Kang Ding-class frigate is replacing its Chaparall missiles with Tien Chien II and Hua Yang VLS, which would provide it with long-range, 360° air defense Taiwan plans to produce 1,200 to 1,376 Hai Chien II missiles (海劍二, Sea Sword II) — also known as TC-2N — to serve as the standard air defense system of the navy’s surface combatant fleet, a source said yesterday. Last week, the Hai Chien II, the naval version of the Tien Kung II missile (天劍二, Sky Sword II), completed a live-fire test in waters off the National Chungshan Institute of Science and Technology’s Jiupeng facility (九鵬) in Pingtung County’s Manjhou Township (滿州). The MIM72 Chaparral and other dated air defense missiles that currently arm Taiwanese ships have inadequate range to combat Chinese
REASONS FOR TRAVEL: An assistant professor said that proposed amendments to penalize drivers if they used drugs overseas would not deter people from traveling People who operate a motor vehicle under the influence of marijuana would have their driver’s license revoked, even if they used the substance while overseas, the Ministry of Transportation and Communications said yesterday, citing proposed amendments to the Road Traffic Management and Penalty Act (道路交通管理處罰條例). The amendments would also authorize the government to revoke the licenses of people determined to have used Category 1 or Category 2 narcotics, even if they were not operating a vehicle while under the influence of drugs, as well as ban them from taking the license test for three years, the ministry said. People aged 18 or
Johanne Liou (劉喬安), a Taiwanese woman who shot to unwanted fame during the Sunflower movement protests in 2014, returned to Taiwan last night after being deported from the US. She is to stand trial in Taiwan for charges involving embezzlement, fraud and drug crimes. The Criminal Investigation Bureau (CIB) said it took her into custody at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport and would first question her before transferring her to the New Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. She was arrested upon disembarking a flight from San Francisco that landed shortly before 7pm. Liou absconded to the US in 2019 after jumping bail
Shih Hsin University President Chen Ching-he (陳清河) yesterday issued a public apology for comments made in his commencement speech last week, stating that he has asked the school to suspend his duties and halt his wages for two months as a show of contrition. At the commencement ceremony on May 30, Chen said, “If you don’t manage your time well, or your own emotions, or your health, then I am telling every one of you — put a quick end to ‘you,’ because the world has no need for ‘you.’” The comments have sparked significant controversy online, and Chen through an open
RSS