Brain Scan Study Reveals Damage in High Altitude Climbers

In a study done recently at a Spanish hospital, it was found that high altitude mountain climbers may be causing brain damage with their passionate hobby. However, a report now indicates that these findings may have been premature or incomplete. The report showed that of 35 people who made high altitude climbs, only one returned to the ground with a normal brain scan. However, what wasn't revealed at the time was that these people had abnormal brain scans prior to the climb. This brings up the question of whether or not the brain scans mean anything in this particular study.

Brain scans of high altitude climbers have shown these kind of climbs can cause damage to the frontal lobes of the brain as well as to the drainage functions of the brain. This causes a significant number of problems amongst climbers, particularly those who aren't experienced enough to take the proper precautions when doing this kind of climbing. It has been suggested that the abnormal MRI scans from this study indicate that damage was already done to these climbers before the climb in question. In other words, there's no way to tell right now if the brain scan means anything. Nevertheless, it's probably a good idea for regular high altitude climbers to consider getting a brain scan of their own to prevent problems down the line.

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