Whether the plateau reaction is serious or not needs to be evaluated according to the clinical symptoms, the specific altitude and so on, and the specific situation needs to be evaluated and decided by the doctor.
Plateau reaction refers to the discomfort caused by lack of oxygen, strenuous exercise, cold and other reasons when people enter a high altitude area for a short period of time. In mild cases, there are uncomfortable symptoms such as headache, vomiting and difficulty in breathing. Severe cases will produce pulmonary edema and plateau cerebral edema, which is life-threatening.
When plateau reaction occurs, the patient can inhale oxygen to improve the hypoxic state. You can also follow the doctor’s instructions to use drugs (such as ibuprofen, domperidone, etc.), pay attention to warmth, discomfort symptoms will gradually improve. Severe cases need to get out of the plateau environment and go to a lower altitude area for treatment to avoid life-threatening situations.
When patients experience plateau reaction, they should immediately stop exercising to high altitude areas and go to the emergency department of the hospital.