Climbers scaling Mount Kilimanjaro are taking unnecessary risks with their health, experts have warned.

Travel firms have seen an increase in bookings following the successful summit by nine celebrities for last year’s Comic Relief campaign. But Edinburgh University scientists warned many climbing Africa’s tallest peak “know little or nothing” about high altitude, which can be fatal.

Scientists camped out to test altitude sickness in more than 200 climbers.

The researchers camped for three weeks on the mountain at a height of 4,730 meters — not far below the 5,895-meter summit. They assessed climbers using the Lake Louise consensus scoring system, which records symptoms such as headache, sickness and fatigue.

The academics found almost half, or 47 percent, of those who had climbed Kilimanjaro, were suffering from altitude sickness before they reached the summit and most were ascending too high, too quickly.

Signs of sickness include vomiting, headaches, difficulty sleeping and sometimes problems with co-ordination.

Effects can be felt from as low as 2,500 meters above sea level and 75 percent of people will have mild symptoms at 3,000 meters or higher, the study said.

Reserachers said the best way to acclimatize was to climb slowly, and some trekkers incorporate acclimatization rest days. Some also opt for anti-sickness drugs, although there is controversy in the mountaineering community about whether they are effective.

However, the experts found that neither altitude-sickness drugs nor rest days had a major effect on whether people got ill.

They concluded that climbers were going up so rapidly, the drugs could not protect against the harmful effects of altitude.

However, climbers who had managed to acclimatize beforehand on nearby high mountains were less likely to suffer from sickness, the research said.

乞力马扎罗山普通登山者健康风险极大

专家警告称，乞力马扎罗山的登山者们对自己的健康承担着不必要的风险。

旅游公司发现，自去年九位名人参与的欢喜救济会慈善“峰会”项目成功后，乞力马扎罗山登山项目预订量迅速增加。但爱丁堡大学的科学家警告称，许多攀登非洲最高峰的登山者对高海拔“所知甚少或一无所知”，带来致命危险。

科学家为200多名登山者测试高原反应。为此，研究人员在山上海拔4730米 — 距5895米的顶峰不远处露营了三周。

他们通过路易斯湖共识评分系统（高原病诊断标准）对登山者进行评估，记录高原反应症状，如头痛、恶心和乏力。

学者发现，近一半，即47%的乞力马扎罗山登山者登顶之前就出现高原反应，其中大多数都登的过高过快。

高原病症状包括呕吐、头痛、失眠，此外，有时伴有协调问题。研究人员表示，上述症状最低在海拔2500米处就可有所感觉，75%的人在海拔3000米或更高处会有轻微症状。

研究人员称，最好的适应办法是慢慢爬，有些徒步者会休息数日以适应海拔环境。还有些人选择使用抗高原病药物，尽管其效果在登山界饱受争议。

但专家们发现，无论是高原反应药物还是休息数日，都不是影响人们是否感到不适的主要因素。

他们得出结论称，如果登山者攀登速度过快，药物无法预防高海拔的有害影响。

然而，研究人员称，若登山者事先在附近的高山设法适应海拔环境，那么引发高原病的可能性较小。

    Words to Learn 相关词汇

   【疲劳】

    píláo

    fatigue

    weariness from bodily or mental exertion

    【适应环境】

    shìyìng huánjìng

    acclimatize

    adapt or become accustomed to a new climate or environment