Acute Lung Edema as a Presentation of Severe Acute Reentry High-Altitude Illness in a Pediatric Patient

Abstract

Acute high-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) is a pathology involving multifactorial triggers that are associated with ascents to altitudes over 2,500 meters above sea level (m). Here, we report two pediatric cases of reentry HAPE, from the city of Huaraz, Peru, located at 3,052 m. The characteristics of both cases were similar, wherein acclimatization to sea level and a subsequent return to the city of origin occurred, and we speculate that it was caused by activation of predisposing factors to HAPE. The diagnosis and management associated with pulmonary hypertension became a determining factor for therapy.