Field Medical Observations from a Remote High-Altitude Community on the Route to K2 (Askole Study I)

BackgroundAskole (9843 ft [≈3000 m], Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan), the last village on the route to K2 Base Camp, is a remote high-altitude community with limited healthcare access, unsafe water, and infrastructural constraints. No systematic data describe its health burden, although such information is needed to plan future medical expeditions.MethodsFrom September 8 to 18, 2025 (11 working days), 2 Italian Alpine Club physicians provided medical care and health education at the Lorenzo Mazzoleni Dispensary. Clinical evaluation was supplemented by electrocardiography, ultrasonography, pulse oximetry, blood pressure measurement, and point-of-care glucometer and urine dipstick testing. School-based vision screening with the Lang stereotest was performed in Korphe.Results and DiscussionA total of 171 patients (174 visits; mean age 23.6 years) were evaluated. Gastrointestinal infectious diseases were most frequent, likely related to unsafe water and poor hygiene, followed by musculoskeletal disorders, chiefly lumbosacral radiculopathy, in adults. Skin, genitourinary, oral, ear, and ocular conditions were also common. Respiratory and cardiovascular symptoms occurred in relatively young individuals, without electrocardiographic evidence of ischemia, structural abnormality, or infarction; chronic mountain sickness was not systematically assessed. Vision screening identified stereoacuity deficits in 1.9% of children examined, all referred for ophthalmological evaluation. One new case of diabetes mellitus was diagnosed.ConclusionsInfectious disease is the main health burden in this setting. Improvements in water safety and infrastructure are essential, as health education alone is insufficient. These observations, limited by a small sample and short observation period, can nonetheless inform the planning of future medical expeditions.