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Researchers randomized 86 healthy nonacclimated adult volunteers to receive oral ibuprofen (600 mg) or placebo every 6 hours, beginning 6 hours before rapidly ascending from an altitude of 4100 feet to 12,570 feet in California. Outcome measures were incidence and severity of acute mountain sickness on the validated, self-reported, symptom-based Lake Louise Questionnaire. Acute mountain sickness was defined as a symptom score of >3 with headache and one other symptom.
Significantly fewer volunteers in the ibuprofen group than in the placebo group developed acute mountain sickness (43% vs. 69%; number needed to treat, 3.9). Among volunteers who developed mountain sickness, symptom severity was lower in the ibuprofen group, although the differ…