Students have high hopes of finding altitude sickness cure

Published on Tuesday 24 February 2009 08:55

IT is unlikely they will ever put their medical skills to use in such spectacular and unusual surroundings again.

Six Edinburgh students will need a strong head for heights this summer as they seek a cure for altitude sickness near the summit of Africa's highest mountain – Mount Kilimanjaro.

The young medics could save dozens of lives as they give check-ups and administer treatment to climbers nearly 5000 metres above sea level.

Altitude sickness can be fatal, often because sufferers do not spot the symptoms quickly enough.

The students hope their research will help to discover what makes some people more susceptible than others. They will be taking DNA samples from climbers before they set off and then testing them as they approach the summit to help determine whether the condition is genetic.

They will also be testing the correlation between oxygen production and distribution and altitude sickness, and will be on hand to treat any climbers showing symptoms of the condition.

Kilimanjaro, which is 5895m high, has been selected because the cost of an overnight stay in the surrounding park encourages tourists to attempt the climb too quickly – often with disastrous results.

The team will split in two. Half of them will take DNA samples and details of climbers setting off from the base. The other half will be at 4700m to carry out a second test and to administer oxygen or give advice to any struggling climbers.

Altitude sickness causes severe headaches, breathlessness and vomiting, and can result in fluid in the brain or lungs.

Expedition leader Stewart Jackson, 23, who lives in the city centre, described the study as "novel research".

The third-year medical student said: "One of the things we are doing is looking at how many people actually know about altitude sickness and what they would do if they developed it.

"The best treatment is to descend the mountain and it can usually disappear relatively quickly. As soon as you develop a severe headache or start to throw up then you need to start descending."

The students hope that by discovering the type of people more susceptible to the illness these people can be warned before taking on a climb.

Mr Jackson added: "Hopefully this will lead to some kind of treatment or drug in the future, but in the meantime we hope to be able to tell people if they are likely to suffer from it."

Their research has already been backed by four-time Olympic gold medallist Chris Hoy, as well as Reinhold Messner, the first man to ascend Mount Everest without supplementary oxygen.

Hoy said: "In 2007, I travelled to La Paz to attack two world records in the highest sports stadium in the world at an altitude of 4000m.

"Thanks to previous research into altitude sickness, our medical team was able to keep the whole team healthy, allowing me to set a new 500m time trial world record. Without that knowledge, it would not have been possible.

"I wish the Edinburgh Altitude Research Team the best of luck."