altitude sickness
nounDefinition of altitude sickness
: the effects (such as headache, nausea, or swelling of the brain) of oxygen deficiency in the blood and tissues developed at high altitudes having reduced atmospheric pressure — see mountain sickness
Examples of altitude sickness in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Nepal's top tourism body maintains this year's deaths were due to extreme physical weakness, weather adversity, high altitude sickness and accident -- and not the overcrowding. — Sugam Pokharel And Julia Hollingsworth, CNN, "Nepal is banning single-use plastic in the Everest region," 22 Aug. 2019 Eleven people died this year on Mount Everest -- including 9 in Nepal -- likely due to altitude sickness, which is caused by low amounts of oxygen at high elevation and can lead to headaches, vomiting, shortness of breath and mental confusion. — Fox News, "Mount Everest climbers to face new rules after deadly season," 15 Aug. 2019 Last year, veteran climbers, insurance companies and news outlets exposed a conspiracy by some guides, helicopter companies and hospitals to bilk millions of dollars from insurers by evacuating trekkers with minor signs of altitude sickness. — Bhadra Sharma, New York Times, "New Everest Rules Could Significantly Limit Who Gets to Climb," 14 Aug. 2019 Starting at 18,000 ft, bodies need extra time to acclimate to the altitude; if hikers ignore this, altitude sickness becomes a serious, and sometimes life-threatening, risk. — Meghan Mcdonough, Quartz, "Female soccer players are breaking world records to show they’re just as good as the guys," 7 July 2019 The biggest difference is Nepal is obviously much higher in elevation, which causes more altitude sickness. — Mary Anne Potts, National Geographic, "Here’s how one elite Everest guide would improve safety on the mountain," 14 June 2019 The guide who died, Mohammad Imtiaz, spoke to the group about the dangers of altitude sickness, telling the story of a client who had recently died on a trek. — Salman Masood, New York Times, "Pakistani Military Rescues 6 Mountain Climbers Trapped by Avalanche," 18 June 2019 The guide who died, Mohammad Imtiaz, spoke to the group about the dangers of altitude sickness, telling the story of a client who had recently died on a trek. — Salman Masood, BostonGlobe.com, "Pakistani military rescues 6 mountain climbers trapped by avalanche," 18 June 2019 Climbers suffering from altitude sickness could not descend to seek medical attention. — Emily Barone, Time, "Greed, Weather and Inexperience: See How Mount Everest's Deadly Season Compares to Past Years," 11 June 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'altitude sickness.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
More Definitions for altitude sickness
altitude sickness
noun
al·ti·tude sickness
| \ ˌal-tə-ˌt(y)üd-
\
\
Medical Definition of altitude sickness
: the effects (as nosebleed, nausea, headache, or cerebral edema) of oxygen deficiency in the blood and tissues developed at high altitudes with reduced atmospheric pressure