When the Air Gets Thin

Picture this: You travel to the mountains, excited to take on your next big adventure, only to find yourself breathless, your stomach is churning and in the morning your head is throbbing. It’s altitude sickness, otherwise known as acute mountain sickness. Here in Colorado, our mountain doctors experience this regularly, but patients don’t always realize why they’re experiencing these symptoms. In this episode, we dive into mountain myths, sleeping at altitude and how to combat this diagnosis.

In this episode we are joined by a community pediatrician who treats altitude sickness on a regular basis. Christine Ebert-Santos, MD, is a pediatrician at Ebert Family Clinic in Frisco, CO. Her practice sits at 9,026 feet above sea level. She is also a clinical professor of pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

In this episode, our high-altitude expert discusses:

• Common symptoms of altitude sickness and how to manage them
• Understanding why only certain people experience the reaction while others remain unaffected
• Debunking popular mountain myths
• How high altitude can impact sleep
• The role of pediatricians in educating patients about altitude sickness, even at sea level

For even more insight on altitude sickness, listen to Dr. Ebert-Santos in a previous Charting Pediatrics episode, "Preventing Altitude Sickness in Children."