Changes in Metabolic and Hematologic Laboratory Values With Ascent to Altitude and the Development of Acute Mountain Sickness in Nepalese Pilgrims

Fifty-two percent of the subjects developed AMS. With ascent to altitude, subjects showed some evidence of decreased effective circulating volume, though there were no clinically significant changes. The data did not show whether decreased circulating volume is a significant risk factor in the development of AMS at high altitude.