High-altitude pulmonary edema
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High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is a life-threatening form of non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema that occurs in otherwise healthy people at altitudes typically above 2,500 meters (8,200 ft).[2] However, cases have also been reported between 1,500–2,500 metres or 4,900–8,200 feet in more vulnerable subjects.
High-altitude pulmonary edema | |
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Other names | High-altitude pulmonary oedema (HAPO)[1] |
Chest x-ray of HAPE showing characteristic patchy alveolar infiltrates with right middle lobe predominance. | |
Specialty | Emergency medicine, wilderness medicine |
Classically, HAPE occurs in persons normally living at low altitude who travel to an altitude above 2,500 meters (8,200 feet).[3] Re-entry HAPE is also an entity that has been described in persons who normally live at high altitude but who develop pulmonary edema after returning from a stay at low altitude.[3] It is severe presentation of altitude sickness.
There are many factors that can make a person more susceptible to developing HAPE, including genetic factors, but detailed understanding is lacking and currently under investigation. HAPE remains the major cause of death related to high-altitude exposure, with a high mortality rate in the absence of adequate emergency treatment.[3]