Soldier at High Altitude: Problem & Preventive Measures

Due to military and j trategic reasons, a large body of troops is being regularly dcployed in the snowbound areas through ut the Himalayan regions to guard Ihe Ironliers. Thc mountain environment at high 'allitude (HA) consisls of several faclors alien lo plain dwellers, which evoke a series of physiological responses in human system. Some of the sea' level residents on induction to HA suffer from several unloward symploms of HA" ailmenls varying from mild-lo-severe degrees. Suddenexposure to HA is detrimental to physical and mental performance of the low landers and certain cases, may even lead to dreaded condition like high altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPO). These may make a man Jisturbed physically and mentally. So, there is a need lo prevent such hazards v(hich ispossible if the individual is aware of the problems and prevenlive measures ofHA ailments in advance, before going to HA for a safe and happy living there. Hence, a noble effort has been made to provide guidelines to create awareness about physical and physiological problems of life at HA and themethods of protection against its ill-effects for the soldiers, mountaineers and sojourners conducting scientific trials it HA. In th.:s revieJ, an attempt has been made to describe vital aspects of HA in a popular way, st~ing with its concept and various environmental factors which exert considerableettects on human body functions, heallh and performance on exposure to such environment, on the b¥is of a series of studies coitlucted at Ithe Defence Institute of Physiology & Allied Sciences, Delhi, oVer the years. The most important featurelof HA (3,000 m and above) is hypoxia or deficiency ofoxygej1 in the body. Olher cnvironmental tactors are: scverc cold, high velocity wind, low rclalivc humidily, high solar radiatior, increased ultraviolet radialion and difficult terrain. These faclors are responsible for various HA cWtdc old syndromes, viz., acute mountain sickness, HAPO, dehydration,4unburn, snow-blilidness, CO-poisoning, hypothermia and cold injury of the extremities