altitude sickness

noun

Definition of altitude sickness

: the effects (such as headache, nausea, or swelling of the brain) of oxygen deficiency in the blood and tissues developed at high altitudes having reduced atmospheric pressure — see mountain sickness

Examples of altitude sickness in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

There may be other factors involved in your propensity for developing altitude sickness. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "What Exactly Is Altitude Sickness?," 20 Dec. 2018 Most people respond to these conditions by breathing more rapidly to bring in more oxygen, if only to avoid the headache and dizziness common to altitude sickness. — Jennifer Ouellette, Ars Technica, "Insect-inspired microfluidics could help Ant-Man and the Wasp breathe," 18 Nov. 2018 On the trip, Carlson stayed at the base with a combination of altitude sickness and a stomach bug. — Ben Guarino, The Verge, "An academic reported sexual harassment. Her university allegedly retaliated," 12 Nov. 2018 They are dissuaded from exploring other options, like taking medicine that eases altitude sickness, going to clinics along the trek route, or simply descending a few thousand feet, which solves many cases. — Kai Schultz, The Seattle Times, "Near Everest’s slopes, a helicopter rescue fraud preys on trekkers," 4 Sep. 2018 And his baseball cap gets altitude sickness, former WWE superstar and my massive sidekick, Tyrus. — Fox News, "Gutfeld: Be nicer. It will drive your enemies nuts," 5 Aug. 2018 Coca leaves can suppress hunger, pain and fatigue, and alleviate the symptoms of altitude sickness. — Brigit Katz, Smithsonian, "How Inca Mummies Helped a Soccer Player Who Was Banned from the World Cup," 29 June 2018 The naturally-growing plant eases altitude sickness, and people trekking up high altitudes used to stuff wads of coca into their cheeks and chew on it. — National Geographic, "How Ancient Mummies Helped This Soccer Player Get to the World Cup," 26 June 2018 Three years later and a hundred yards from the finish line, a fellow climber began suffering altitude sickness, fell unconscious and required rescue. — Alex Prewitt, SI.com, "The Great Wait Is Finally Over: After 13 Seasons, Alex Ovechkin Is a Stanley Cup Champion," 11 June 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'altitude sickness.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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The first known use of altitude sickness was in 1901

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altitude sickness

noun

al·ti·tude sickness | \ ˌal-tə-ˌt(y)üd-

Medical Definition of altitude sickness

: the effects (as nosebleed, nausea, headache, or cerebral edema) of oxygen deficiency in the blood and tissues developed at high altitudes with reduced atmospheric pressure