Hypoxemia (low oxygen in your blood) can cause hypoxia (low oxygen in your tissues) when your blood doesn’t carry enough oxygen to your tissues to meet your body’s needs. The word hypoxia is sometimes used to describe both problems.
Symptoms: Hypoxia can differ from person to person, some of its most common symptoms are:
>Changes in the color of your skin, ranging from blue to cherry red
>Confusion
>Cough
>Fast Heart Rate
>Rapid Breathing
>Shortness of Breath
>Sweating
>Wheezing
Prevention: Trekker must be well known about the proverb “Prevention is better than Cure” so every trekker must have following knowledge:
>Acclimatization
>Do not make rapid ascent
>Avoid alcohol, sleeping pills and smoking
>Drink plenty of water
>Do not carry more than 10 kg
>Climb higher sleep lower
>Over 3000m ascend 330m a day
>Never travel alone
Treatment
>Gamow bags
>Decent
>Diamox (125g) before dinner
>Provide oxygen cylinders
Causes of Hypoxia: A severe asthma attack, or flare, can cause hypoxia in adults and kids. During an attack, your airways narrow, making it hard to get air into your lungs. Coughing to clear your lungs uses even more oxygen and can make symptoms worse.
Other things can cause hypoxia, too like:
>Lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), emphysema, bronchitis, and pulmonary edema (fluid in the lungs)
>Strong pain medicines and other drugs that hold back breathing
>Heart problems
>Anemia (a low number of red blood cells, which carry oxygen)
>Cyanide poisoning (Cyanide is a chemical used to make plastics and other products.)
Four Golden Rules: These are the rules to prevent from altitude sickness:The best way to prevent hypoxia is to keep your asthma under control, every day. Stick with your asthma treatment plan.
>Take your medicine to help prevent flares and the need to use your rescue inhaler.
>Eat right and stay active.
>Know your asthma triggers, and find ways to avoid them.