Acute mountain sickness -- experience on the roof of Africa expedition and military implications.

Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS) is a potentially severe problem for military exercises and operations and may present in a variety of ways as was the case on the "Roof of Africa" Expedition 1990. Four cases are described and the pathophysiology of AMS is discussed. Gradual acclimatization to increasing altitude will decrease the incidence of AMS, but pharmacological prophylaxis is recommended when time is short, acetazolamide being the drug of choice.