What is High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE)?
Altitude illness is a general term referring to the three problems that can occur on ascent to altitude: Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS), High Altitude Cerebral Edema (HACE), and High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE). AMS and HACE are considered a spectrum of the same altitude illness. The small amount of swelling in the brain that contributes to mild AMS becomes significant swelling and progresses to severe headache, confusion, lethargy, lack of coordination, irritability, vomiting, seizures, coma, and eventually death if untreated. A person with HACE may look like a confused, disoriented drunk person, fumbling with clothing, unable to walk a straight line, and with slurred speech.
