What is the cough at Everest Base Camp?

Altitude-related cough is a troublesome condition of uncertain aetiology that affects many visitors to high altitude. The traditionally held belief that it was due solely to the inspiration of cold, dry air was refuted by observations and experiments in long duration hypobaric chamber studies.



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It is likely that altitude-related cough is a symptom of a number of possible perturbations in the cough reflex arc that may exist independently or together. These include loss of water from the respiratory tract; respiratory tract infections and sub-clinical high altitude pulmonary oedema.

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Aetiology. Altitude-related cough has traditionally been attributed to the inspiration of the cold, dry air which characterises the high altitude mountain environment [2].

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The list of causes is standard, both for Everest and the other eight-thousanders. These are mountain sickness, exhaustion, frostbite, falls, avalanches, rockfalls, and cracks.

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It is estimated that climbers on Mount Everest burn around 6000 calories a day as opposed to the typical 2000 calories a day. It is important that climbers are prepared for this increase in calories burned. People interested in climbing Mount Everest also need to prepare mentally.

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Some degree of altitude sickness is common on a high-altitude trek like the Everest Base Camp trek. So yes, your body doesn't function as normal when you go into a high area where it must manage with less oxygen. Very importantly, you need to give it adequate time to adapt to the reduced oxygen intake.

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The Everest base camp trek does indulge some risk of Acute Mountain sickness (AMS). There are few stats of causalities among the successful trek of more than 30,000 per year. For most part of such incidents, trekkers with the cardiovascular problems, and improper itinerary resulting in AMS victims.

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To retrieve a body takes a team of rescuers or Sherpa capable of digging out frozen bodies and bearing the extra weight of a frozen corpse down the mountain. The cost of such an expedition can climb above $70,000. Because of the cost and extreme risk to the retrieval team, few bodies ever leave Everest.

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Five miles above sea level the air has so little oxygen in it that even with supplementary air tanks, it can feel like running on a treadmill and breathing through a straw, according to US mountaineer and filmmaker David Breashears.

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According to the Mayo Clinic, during exposure to frigid temperatures like those on Everest—which can dip to minus 20 Fahrenheit during peak climbing season—at first you're liable to feel a prickling, tingling sensation in your outer extremities.

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