What is the result of Ngawang's stubbornness?

What is the result of Ngawang's stubbornness?

• A. He contracted HACE, causing confusion.
• B. He contracts HAPE (high-altitude pulmonary edema), delirious and coughing up bloody froth, and dies after being brought down.
• C. He recovered after a brief rest.
• D. He chose to stay at Camp Two and finish the climb.

Answer: (B)

The key idea is how high-altitude illness can progress to a life-threatening crash if a climber refuses to descend. High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) occurs when fluid builds up in the lungs due to extreme altitude and exertion, impairing oxygen transfer. As the condition worsens, symptoms escalate from breathlessness and fatigue to more severe signs like delirium and the production of frothy, sometimes blood-tinged sputum, reflecting the edema in the lungs. If the climber is not brought down quickly for rest, oxygen, and medical care, the situation can deteriorate rapidly and become fatal. In Ngawang’s case, his stubbornness to descend despite worsening symptoms aligns with a fatal progression of HAPE, culminating in death after evacuation. The other scenarios—confusion from a different mountain illness (HACE), a quick recovery after a brief rest, or choosing to stay at a high camp to finish the climb—do not match the severe, progressive outcome described.

The key idea is how high-altitude illness can progress to a life-threatening crash if a climber refuses to descend. High-altitude pulmonary edema (HAPE) occurs when fluid builds up in the lungs due to extreme altitude and exertion, impairing oxygen transfer. As the condition worsens, symptoms escalate from breathlessness and fatigue to more severe signs like delirium and the production of frothy, sometimes blood-tinged sputum, reflecting the edema in the lungs. If the climber is not brought down quickly for rest, oxygen, and medical care, the situation can deteriorate rapidly and become fatal.

In Ngawang’s case, his stubbornness to descend despite worsening symptoms aligns with a fatal progression of HAPE, culminating in death after evacuation. The other scenarios—confusion from a different mountain illness (HACE), a quick recovery after a brief rest, or choosing to stay at a high camp to finish the climb—do not match the severe, progressive outcome described.