INPUT ARTICLE: Article: There are 3 types of syndromes that comprise altitude sickness: acute mountain sickness, high altitude cerebral edema (HACE), and altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). Acute mountain sickness is due to reduced air pressure and oxygen. High altitude cerebral edema (HACE) is a severe progression of acute mountain sickness caused by brain swelling and the leaking of dilated brain vessels. High altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) can occur with HACE, on its own after acute mountain sickness, or develop one to four days after traveling above 8,000 ft. This is caused by swelling in the lungs due to fluid leakage into the lungs caused by high pressure and constriction of blood vessels in the lungs. Acute mountain sickness is a relatively common disease in certain parts of the world. It affects 25% of travelers over 8,000 ft in Colorado, 50% percent of travelers in the Himalayas, and 85% of those in the Mount Everest region. There are many symptoms of acute mountain sickness. These include a headache within two to 12 hours of new altitude, trouble falling or staying asleep, dizziness, tiredness, lightheadedness, increased heart rate, shortness of breath during movement, and nausea or vomiting. Since HACE is a severe extension of acute mountain sickness, you will start with those symptoms first. As the condition escalates, you will contract other symptoms. These include ataxia, which is the inability to walk straight, or the tendency to wobble when walking or walking diagonally. You may also suffer from an altered mental state, which can manifest as drowsiness, confusion, and changes in your speech, memory, mobility, thoughts, and attention span. You may also lose consciousness or go into a coma. Unlike acute mountain sickness, HACE is rather rare. It only affects from .1% to 4% of people. Since this can be an escalation of HACE, you may experience the symptoms of acute mountain sickness and HACE as well. Since it can come up on its own, however, you should watch out for the symptoms as a standalone condition. You may experience dyspnea, which a shortness of breath at rest. You also may feel chest tightness and pain, wheezing breath on the exhalation from your lungs, increased breathing and heart rate, weakness, and coughing. You may also notice a physical change as well, such as cyanosis, which is a condition where your mouth and fingers turn darker or bluish in color. Like with HACE, HAPE is relatively rare, with incidences from .1% to 4%. Even if you try to prevent altitude sickness, it may still happen. If this is the case, you should be careful not to make it worse. If you have acute mountain sickness, wait up to 12 hours for symptom improvement. Try also to descend immediately at least down 1,000 feet if symptoms do not improve in 12 hours or sooner if your symptoms are severe. If you are unable to descend, treatment with oxygen should help your symptoms within a few hours if it is available.. At this point, reassess symptoms for improvement. If you are dealing with signs or symptoms of HACE or HAPE, descend immediately with as little exertion as possible so as not to aggravate the symptoms. You should then reassess symptoms for improvement periodically. If descent is not possible because of weather conditions or other reasons, administer oxygen to increase oxygen pressure. Place the mask on yourself and the tube of the mask in the tank nozzle. Release the oxygen. You can also be placed in a portable hyperbaric chamber. If these are available, then descent may not be needed if the symptoms are not severe and you respond to treatment. These are lightweight machines usually carried by rescue teams or at rescue stations. If radio or phone is available, report incidences to the rescue team and give them your location and wait for arrival. There are some medications that may be given to you on an emergency basis by your doctor. For acute mountain sickness treatment, you may be given acetazolamide or dexamethasone. For HACE treatment, you may be given dexamethasone. Take pills immediately and swallow with water. Your doctor may also prescribe you emergency drugs in case of HAPE, which are non-FDA approved drugs for prophylaxis and HAPE treatment. Small studies have shown some drugs reduce the incidence of HAPE if taken 24 hours before your trip. These include nifedipine (Procardia), salmeterol (Serevent), phosphodiesterase-5 inhibitors (tadalafil, Cialis), and sildenafil (Viagra).

SUMMARY: Learn the different types. Recognize acute mountain sickness. Notice high altitude cerebral edema (HACE). Watch out for high altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE). Deal with symptoms. Take emergency drugs.

INPUT ARTICLE: Article: If you experience symptoms such as eye pain or excessive watering, let your doctor know. Other conditions that warrant contacting your doctor include changes in your vision, red or swollen eyes, and if you notice unusual pus or drainage coming from any part of your eye. If you do not see any improvement or if your symptoms get worse, let your doctor know. If you are being treated for an infection, watch for symptoms in the other eye. Let your doctor know if you begin to see evidence that the infection may have spread. If you develop skin changes like a rash or hives, difficulty breathing, swelling around your eye area, swelling anywhere on your face, tightness of your chest, or feel like your throat is tightening, you may be having an allergic reaction. An allergic reaction is a medical emergency. Call 911 or seek medical attention the fastest way possible. Do not attempt to drive yourself to a hospital. If you think you are having an allergic reaction from your eye drops, rinse your eyes with an eyewash product if one is available. If you do not have an eyewash product, then use regular water to flush the eye drop solution out of your eyes to prevent further absorption. Tilt your head to the side, hold your eye open, and allow clean water to flush the eye drop solution from your eye.

SUMMARY:
Contact your doctor if you have unexpected symptoms. Monitor your symptoms. Watch for an allergic reaction. Rinse your eyes.