Profile Klaus Mees—a hungry man
Ned Stafford
The moment of truth for Klaus Mees and his fellow
mountain climbers came at sunrise on May 22, 2005.
The 8850 m summit of Mount Everest loomed majestic,
eternal, and enticing. When the team had left camp at
7950 m the evening before, weather conditions had been
favourable. But now, at 8600 m, the temperature had
dipped to nearly –40ºC and winds of 50–60 km per hour
meant it felt much colder. Mees, an inner-ear specialist
at the University of Munich Medical School, explains
that this was the point when he and the other climbers
no longer felt the cold-induced pain in their hands and
feet: “When the pain goes, it’s not a good sign . . . That
means frostbite is starting.” Last year Mees made it to
8300 m on the north approach to Mount Everest before
bad weather forced him back. And now, bad weather—
or bad luck—again. Retreat is not an easy option for a
determined man who dreams of conquering the world’s
tallest mountain. “It was a difficult decision”, he says.
“But if you want to save your fingers and your toes you
have to turn back and we turned back.”
Mees began mountain climbing at university. He met
his wife in the Alps and, after 36 years, she is still his
favourite climbing partner. “I love the mountains, the
scenery, the landsape. And I like climbing. You have to
think, solve problems.” And, he adds: “It reduces stress
hormones.” Mees also runs, but calls that monotone
exercise compared with climbing.
Mees specialises in surgery of the middle ear and in
hearing improvement. He provides advice to high-
altitude climbers and deep-sea divers about how best to
avoid inner-ear problems. His research focuses on
www.thelancet.com Medicine and Sport Vol 366 December 2005
Lancet 2005; 366: S35
trying to unravel the secrets of hearing problems at high c/o The Lancet (N Stafford)
altitudes. “Even though hearing disorders at high Correspondence to:
altitude have been reported since 1938, their reasons Mr Ned Stafford
ns@europefn.de
have been unknown so far”, Mees says.
For the past 5 years he has led research expeditions in
the mountains. Mees originally tried to simulate high-
altitude conditions in animals in a laboratory, but was
not satisfied with the artificial conditions. He decided to
take his equipment to high altitudes and do his research
on people. “I can combine my hobby with my medical
investigations”, he says. His first research expedition
was to Mount Huascaran in Peru in 2001, his second to
Mount Cho Oyu in Tibet in 2002, and his third to Mount
Gasherbru II in Pakistan in 2003. At high altitudes,
Mees places a probe into the outer ear of fellow
mountain climbers. The probe includes a device that
emits different frequencies and volumes of sound, and
also a microphone for measuring otoacoustic emissions.
“These sound emissions are generated by the outer hair
cells in the inner ear”, Mees explains. “The inner ear not
only can transform an acoustic stimulus into an
electrical signal but also can actively emit sound.”
During the Cho Oyu expedition, the team measured
otoacoustic emissions to 7050 m, allowing them to
assess the risk to cochlear sensory cells at high altitude.
Otoacoustic emissions declined with increasing altitude.
During the Gasherbrum II expedition, measurements
showed that impairment of hearing is not only caused
by thin air at high altitudes, but also by an increase of
fluid in the inner ear, which impairs motility and sound
production of the outer hair cells. Mees suggests that:
“The limitation of hearing thus is a direct consequence
of raised intracranial pressure and not [of] an impaired
blood flow in the inner ear, as thought so far.”
Mees notes that “Non-invasive measurement of
intracranial pressure enables us now to predict a life-
threatening high-altitude cerebral oedema at a very early
stage and thus helps to save lives”, he says. “But it also is
important in emergency medical aid and particularly in
neurological and neurosurgical routine diagnostic.”
For his attempts at Mount Everest, Mees signed up
with Asian Trekking, a Nepalese company that provides
expertise and support for mountain climbers. When
introduced at base camp to his fellow climbers he asked
whether they would mind if he took their inner-ear
measurements at various altitudes. “Usually, people are
very happy to have a doctor on the team”, he said.
Mohan Singh of Asian Trekking, says that 59 years,
which is how old Mees will be next year, is not too old to
reach the top of the world. The secret for success, he
claims, is not being “old with your head”. Adding,
“Dr Mees is hungry and has the desire to have another
try.” Mees agrees.
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