Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board High Altitude & Asthma?

This may be a dumb question...but I'll ask anyways. How does the high altitude affect asthma? Or, does it really affect it at all?

Thanks!

I took my girlfriend who has asthma on a hike from Cottonwood Lakes to Whitney last year and found these articles were useful in evaluating the risk and precautions necessary.

http://www.bodyresults.com/E2asthmaalt.asp
http://www.mydr.com.au/default.asp?Article=3827
http://www.asthma.org.uk/about/factsheet13.php

By all means, consult with your physician. Everyone's asthma is not the same.

spinefxr- sorry, different topic, but which route did you take from Cottonwood lakes to get to Whittney? I am doing the same next weekend.

We went through New Army pass to the PCT to Crabtree Meadows and then up the JMT past Guitar Lake, summited and out to Whitney Portal. I took a group of eight at the end of July and it took us four days. If I did it again I would plan five days. We had some problems on day one and that made the hikes on day two and three a significant challenge (14 hours both days) for most in the group. It was a beautiful hike though. With some snow at higher elivations your scenary should be spectacular.

The closing comment in an earlier post is quite right...how the altitude affects your asthma will depend a lot on what causes it.

If you're allergic to something fairly specific, your experience will depend on the presence or absence of the allergen where you're going.

If you suffer from exercise-induced asthma, you're likely to have problems on a long and tall hike like Whitney, but again, it depends on the level of effort required to trigger your asthma. My son still gets a bit wheezy after running a mile in 10 minutes, but had no problems with the exertion level required to hike from Portal to Trail Camp in 4-5 hours with a 25% body-weight backpack, nor from Trail Camp to the summit the next day in about 5 hours. If we had been trying to be speed demons, I'm sure we could have triggered an attack.

Also, if dry air exacerbates your condition, expect problems at altitude...the thinner air doesn't hold as much moisture, so you lose a lot of water just breathing.

Study the resources recommended and consult your doctor...a debilitating asthma attack when you're miles from help would not be a good thing, but with proper precautions, you can probably make it, unless you're allergic to something endemic to the Whitney environment. (I can't stand being around the Bay Area...I don't have asthma, but I'm allergic to eucalyptus trees and my sinuses bug me from the time I arrive until a couple of hours after I leave the Palo Alto/San Jose area.)

Current7,
I was diagnosed with exercise induced asthma about two years ago.I don't have much problem with attacks unless I REALLY push myself.But, since I am hiking up the trail and not running I am ok.The last time I climbed Whitney was 6 years ago which of course was before I got my inhalers.I didn't find that I had too much difficulty breathing, I did notice that at Trail Crest my chest felt heavier than when I was at Trail Camp.But, who's chest doesn't feel heavy at that elevation.I find that the better shape I am in before backpacking, the easier it is for me to breathe at elevation and the less my chest is constricted.
Since being on my inhalers the highest elevation I have been to is about 13000'.I didn't have any trouble breathing or dealing with the altitude.

I think there are a few things you need to figure out before hiking Whitney:
1)Do you have full blown ashtma or a lesser form like exercise induced ashtma and what is your threshold,i.e. can you run without your lungs freezing up and for what period of time?
2)Does dust and dirt inflame your asthma?Whitney is full of dirt.
3)How well do you hike with a fully loaded pack on.Does hiking with a pack make your asthma worse?
Just things to consider.
Good Luck,
V-man

Thanks for your awesome replies. I think my asthma is grass/pollen related, since it is worse during spring and fall, hay fever season, etc. But, I have never had an attack to the point of where I could not breathe. Just minor attacks that a puff of my inhaler solves. I hiked Long's Peak last year and had no problems at the high altitude, so I think I will be fine on Whitney. I just wanted to see if anyone else suffering from asthma has ever had a horrible experience from it at high altitude.

See you all in August.

Hi Current

I am a physician AND an asthmatic. To make matters worse, my asthma is cold and exercise induced. I did however climb the mountaineers route in mid-April without much difficulty.

I recommend
1. talk with your physician about optimizing your pulmonary status prior to going. Even if you are not having symptoms, you may want to start taking your inhaler regularly before going. I did the first time but not the second because I was in much better shape overall.
2. Absolutely carry your inhaler (the albuterol-the quick acting one) with you at all times on the mountain. Use it at the first sign of tightness or wheezing.
3. Be as cardiovascularly fit as you can be prior to going. This will help a lot.
4. I took prednisone with me just in case. This oral steroid doesn't work as fast as i.v. but would definitely help 'calm things down' if you had more than a minor asthma flare- ask your doctor about carrying some with you. I was also able to take i.v. steroids but don't recommend this unless you are good at injecting stuff into veins (I won't ask I didn't take any of the stuff but like to have it for myself or others who may get into trouble.

As far as the altitude and not the exertion, I asked the experts at a wilderness medical convention and they thought that overall, asthmatics did better with 'thinner' air- less resistance to airflow. Again, this doesn't consider the exertion that it takes to get there.

Good luck and with proper preparation there is no reason you can't do this.
-Cheryl

Cheryl (chance)

Your advice is the best.

This is interesting because I have had bronchial asthma since a child. The effects of it has diminished over the years but I still have problems with it.

However, I have NEVER ONCE used my inhaler at altitude higher than where I already live (4k feet). This is really weird and I wonder if asthma has a little bit of "state of mind" to it.

Anyway, good advice and I will take it to heart just in case!

Cya up there Aug. 12