Question

On reaching Rohtang pass near Manali, Aryan suffered a boot of breathlessness, nausea, vomiting, palpitation, fatigue, and headache. Many of his classmates also fell sick like him. The teacher immediately asked the students to take a rest. The attendant was told to provide the coffee. After about one hour the distress symptoms disappeared. What is the rationale behind this?

Answer 1

Hint: Travelling to high altitudes may cause altitude sickness. Altitude sickness is primarily caused by the lack of sufficient oxygen within the body. This may result in mild to fatal complications. To prevent altitude sickness, appropriate acclimatization to the oxygen levels at that altitude is required.

Complete answer: High altitudes have less oxygen content and it worsens depending on the altitude. 8000 to 12000 feet above the sea level is considered as high altitude, 12000 to 18000 feet above sea level is considered very high altitude, and above 18000 feet is extremely high altitude. The oxygen level slowly reduces as the altitude increases. Altitude sickness usually occurs when the body does not receive a sufficient amount of oxygen it requires and thus, show symptoms such as vomiting, headache, dizziness, fatigue, and loss of appetite. Altitude sickness can also be fatal, especially in the case of HAPE (High Altitude Pulmonary Edema) and HACE (High Altitude Cerebral Edema). The only way to tackle altitude sickness is to acclimatize the body to reducing oxygen levels. It can be done by resting at the given altitude, so the body adjusts itself, by altering the heart rate and breathing, diverting oxygen to only vital organs, and much more. When the teacher suggested rest, Aryan and his classmates were slowly getting acclimatized to the altitude. By offering coffee, the caffeine improves oxygen transport by the RBC and improves oxygen distribution within the body. This is the rationale behind Aryan and his friends getting cured of their symptoms of altitude sickness during their travel.

Note: People with high-altitude sickness generally have reduced hyperventilator response, impaired gas exchange, fluid retention, or increased sympathetic drive. Acclimatization causes an increase in erythropoietin secretion which can significantly increase the RBC count within the blood.
Certain enzymes such as 2,3 BGP increase the amount of oxygen-carrying capacity of the RBC and make it easier to dissociate haemoglobin and oxygen.