Question

On reaching Rohtang pass near Manali, Aryan suffered a boot of breathlessness, nausea, vomiting, palpitation, fatigue and headache. Many of his classmates also fell sick like him. The teacher immediately asked the students to take rest. The attendant was told to provide them coffee. After about one hour the distress symptoms disappeared. What is the rationale behind this?

Answer 1

Rohtang pass is at a height of more than 3500 metres. The atmospheric pressure is lower. The oxygen content of the atmosphere is also less. As the body is unable to get enough oxygen, the symptoms of fatigue, nausea and headache appear. This is called altitude sickness. The symptoms begin to disappear after some time due to increased formation of erythrocytes, formation of 2, 3-biphosphoglyceric acid and higher rate of breathing. The required oxygen becomes available to the body.
The change in functioning of oxygen transport system is physiological or phenotypic adaptation. It allows human beings (and animals) to adjust themselves to the changes in environment. It also helps in developing excellence in various fields through sincere efforts.