Differences in acute mountain sickness between first-time and multiple plateau entrants and its impact on psychological stress
10.3969/j.issn.1671-8348.2025.11.020
- VernacularTitle:首次与多次进入高原人群急性高原反应的差异及对心理应激的影响
- Author:
Tingting WEN
1
;
Min XU
;
Shuhui LIN
;
Dongyou ZHANG
;
Pengli MENG
;
Hongqin SUN
;
Zi YANG
;
Defeng MENG
Author Information
1. 中国人民解放军陆军第九四八医院,新疆乌苏 832000
- Keywords:
plateau regions;
acute mountain sickness;
high-altitude acclimatization;
prevention and management of high-altitude illnesses;
blood oxygen saturation
- From:
Chongqing Medicine
2025;54(11):2600-2604
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective To investigate the differences in acute mountain sickness between individuals en-tering the plateau for the first time and those with multiple plateau experiences,and to examine the impact on psychological stress.Methods A total of 2 337 young plateau-acclimatized individuals from an acclimatization rotation area during November 2023 to January 2024 were selected as the study subjects.Those entering the plateau for the first time were classified into Group A(n=425),while those with previous plateau experience(at least one prior visit)were classified into Group B(n=1 912).Differences were analyzed between the two groups in terms of general characteristics,as well as acute mountain sickness(AMS)scores,Self-Rating De-pression Scale(SDS)scores,Symptom Checklist-90(SCL-90)scores,and various vital signs at the following time points:before entering the plateau(T0),on the 1st day(T1),4th day(T2),7th day(T3),and 10th day(T4)after entering the plateau.Results Group A was younger than Group B,with a statistically significant difference(P<0.05).At T1,T2,and T3,AMS scores in Group A were significantly higher than those in Group B(P<0.05).At T4,there was no statistically significant difference in AMS scores between the two groups(P>0.05).At T1,T2,and T3,blood oxygen saturation was lower and heart rate higher in Group A than in Group B,with statistically significant differences(P<0.05).After high-altitude acclimatization,no statistically significant differences in blood oxygen saturation or heart rate were observed between the groups at T4(P>0.05).At T1,there were no statistically significant differences in systolic or diastolic blood pres-sure between the groups(P>0.05).At T2,both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were higher in Group A than in Group B(P<0.05).At T3 and T4,after high-altitude acclimatization,systolic blood pressure de-creased in both groups but remained higher in Group A than in Group B(P<0.05).On the SDS scale,men-tal-emotional and somatic symptom scores were significantly higher in Group A than in Group B(P<0.001).On the SCL-90,all nine symptom factor scores were higher in Group A than in Group B(P<0.05).Conclusion Indi-viduals entering high-altitude areas for the first time experience more severe acute mountain sickness and more pronounced psychological stress.Therefore,enhanced monitoring,psychological counseling,and tailored pre-vention and treatment strategies should be implemented.
