Can You Get Altitude Sickness At 2000 Feet?

The mountain that looked so beautiful on the travel website is beginning to look like the villain in your personal horror movie. You’re sweaty, exhausted, and you can hardly breathe, convinced that your life is over. You’ve been pushing up that mountain for hours, without any indication that you’re getting any closer to the top. Could it be that you have altitude sickness at 2000 feet?

It is very unlikely that anyone could get altitude sickness at an altitude of 2000 feet (approximately 610m). Altitude sickness is unlikely, but possible at intermediate elevation levels (4900 – 8200 feet) and can set in if a person has been at altitudes of 6500 feet or higher for more than 4 hours.

Altitude sickness mostly affects hikers climbing steep mountains. Think Kiliminjaro, Everest, the Alps. Once a climber progresses beyond an elevation of 8000 feet they are at risk of developing altitude sickness which can come with symptoms from mild to severe and even life-threatening.

An Overview Of Altitude Sickness

The first historical reference to altitude sickness was in a text written by a Chinese official, Too-Kin. He described the symptoms that travelers would suffer when they passed through what was probably the Himalayan Karakoram range and the Kilik Pass, which has an altitude of almost 16,000 feet. The text speaks of the Big Headache Mountain and the Little Headache Mountain.

In your hometown, you’ve become accustomed to the air pressure around you, but when you travel to places with higher elevations, your body needs time to adapt to the drop in air pressure (barometric pressure).

The higher the elevation, the less oxygen there is in the air for us to breathe. At 2000 feet there is still enough oxygen for most of us to continue without feeling ill. Generally, people adapt well to high altitude until they reach about 6500 feet. At this point, they may struggle to adjust to the lack of oxygen in the air and develop altitude sickness.

How high is high then? Climbing to these altitudes can cause symptoms of altitude sickness:

• High elevation is considered to be between 8000 and 12 000 feet above sea level
• Very high elevation: 12 000 to 18 000 feet
• Extremely high elevation: over 18 000 feet

People At Risk Of Altitude Sickness

The people who get altitude sickness most often are hikers, mountain climbers, and those living in low altitude areas who travel to places that are much higher above sea level than they are used to.

Anyone is fair game once they’re up at high altitudes. Gender, age, health, and fitness doesn’t seem to influence the risk of getting this illness, but these factors may put some people more at risk:

• If you have a heart or lung condition, your doctor may recommend staying away from the higher altitudes.
• High altitudes could put a pregnant mother and her child in danger.
• Living at low altitudes may make you more susceptible to altitude sickness.
• If you’ve had the illness before, you may be prone to it and you should talk to your doctor about treatment and possible prevention.
• Narcotics and alcohol abuse puts you more at risk.

The Cause Of Altitude Sickness

Altitude sickness can arise from an increase in elevation after about 6500 feet, usually at too fast a pace. When a person ascends too quickly to a high altitude, the body doesn’t have a chance to acclimate and they can develop several symptoms ranging from mild to severe to potentially fatal.

Symptoms Of Altitude Sickness

Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is the mildest form of the illness and can present with various symptoms including:

• Headaches
• Insomnia
• Nausea and vomiting
• Lethargy
• Confusion
• Dizziness
• Loss of appetite
• Struggling to breathe/shortness of breath
• Swelling of the hands, feet, and face.

Symptoms can show within 12-24 hours after reaching a higher altitude but they usually improve within 1 or 2 days, as the body adapts to the change in altitude and less oxygen in the air.

But if your altitude sickness is more intense and the over-the-counter medicines don’t help your symptoms, you will likely begin to feel worse. Breathing will be more difficult and the fatigue will intensify. You could experience a lack of coordination and difficulty walking. You may even have a tight feeling in your chest.

There are also two more severe types of altitude sickness that are potentially life-threatening: High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) and High-altitude cerebral edema (HACE). These dangerous variants are not necessarily always preceded by AMS.

High-Altitude Pulmonary Edema

This severe form of altitude sickness can develop between 1 and 3 days after a quick rise in elevation above 8000 feet. At this height, fluid can accumulate in the lungs quicker than it can drain away. The patient will struggle with severe breathlessness even after lengthy rests.

Their skin will change to a bluish color and they could cough up a pink, frothy liquid. If this continues they could go into a coma. HAPE requires immediate treatment and the patient must be taken to a much lower altitude, or the risk of death will be high.

High-Altitude Cerebral Edema

In this serious variant of AMS, the body’s inability to cope with the high altitude leads to swelling in the brain, and the patient can fall into a coma and die within hours. Early symptoms to look out for are intense headaches or migraines, sleepiness, confusion, hallucinations, and difficulty walking. The person must descend to a lower elevation immediately to prevent death.

Prevention Of Altitude Sickness

The single most important way of preventing this illness is to ascend to high altitudes slowly to give your body time to adapt.

But there are other ways you can prevent altitude sickness from sitting in:

• Be sure to stay hydrated
• Make sure you are getting adequate rest
• Avoid strenuous activity while adjusting to the higher altitude
• Avoid alcohol
• Ask your doctor about a prescription for diamox (acetazolamide) to prevent altitude sickness

Taking steps to prevent altitude sickness can make your hike much more enjoyable.

Summary

Altitude sickness usually only develops when one reaches altitudes of more than 6500 feet and the air pressure around you drops and the lack of oxygen in the air decreases. Most people will not have problems adjusting to an altitude of 2000 feet above sea level. There is a minuscule possibility that some may feel slightly under the weather, but this will pass shortly after arriving at the higher place.