Class 11 NEET Biology Breathing and Exchange of Gases

(a) : Tourists visiting high altitude areas such as Rohtang Pass or Mansarovar, experience altitude sickness. Its symptoms include nausea, fatigue and heart palpitations. This is because in the low atmospheric pressure of high altitudes, the body does not get enough oxygen. But, gradually we get acclimatized and stop experiencing altitude sickness. The body compensates low oxygen availability by increasing red blood cell production, decreasing the binding affinity of haemoglobin and by increasing breathing rate.