![]() Additional preventive measures include changing altitude gradually to allow acclimation and descending to a lower altitude to sleep. Other symptoms include fatigue, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, dizziness and difficulty sleeping. Headache is one of the chief symptoms of acute mountain sickness (AMS), a common response to high altitude that tends to abate after a few days as the body adjusts to the new elevation. ![]() ![]() The study was published in the April 4 issue of the British Medical Journal. Also, during exercise, heart rates rose higher in the placebo group than in the aspirin group, perhaps because aspirin blocks the action of prostaglandins, hormones that contribute to the speeding-up of heart rate and breathing that occurs at high altitude. Although average blood oxygen levels in the two groups were comparable, headaches developed at higher oxygen levels in the placebo group than in the aspirin group, an indication of the drug's protective effect. High-altitude headache tends to occur as the oxygen level in the blood drops. Seven people who received the placebo developed mild to severe headaches, but only one aspirin recipient reported headache - a significant difference. Researchers collected information about headaches and also measured the subjects' heart rate, blood pressure and the level of oxygen saturation of the blood at rest and during exercise. They took one pill an hour before arrival and additional tablets at four hours and eight hours after the first dose. The volunteers traveled to an elevation of about 10,500 feet and stayed there for 24 hours. Researchers at the University of Innsbruck in Austria randomly assigned 29 adults who had a previous history of high-altitude headaches to receive either regular-strength aspirin (320 mg per dose) or a placebo pill. A recent study indicates that taking aspirin before arrival and during the first part of the stay can help prevent this problem. At elevations of 9,000 to 15,000 feet, between 20 percent and 50 percent of skiers and mountaineers report headaches. People who live at a low altitude but travel to high altitudes for recreation or work often get severe headaches in the days after their arrival.
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