However, the experts found that neither altitude-sickness drugs nor rest days had a major effect on whether people got ill.

They concluded that climbers were going up so rapidly, the drugs could not protect against the harmful effects of altitude.

It also did not matter which route people took, suggesting "the rate of ascent on any itinerary is sufficiently fast to cause acute mountain sickness in a large proportion of climbers".

However, climbers who had managed to acclimatise beforehand on nearby high mountains were less likely to suffer from sickness, the research said.

Risk dying

Stewart Jackson, who conducted the study, published in the journal High Altitude Medicine and Biology, said: "We found that many climbers knew little or nothing about altitude sickness and did not have previous experience of being at high altitude.

"This research emphasises the need to increase awareness of the risks of altitude sickness and the importance of taking your time to acclimatise.

"Undertaking an acclimatisation trek before attempting to summit Mount Kilimanjaro offers climbers the best chance of a safe, successful summit."

Severe altitude sickness can lead to serious complications, including shortness of breath at rest, inability to walk, decreasing mental alertness and a build up of fluid on the lungs which can result in a "gurgling" sound when breathing.

People with these symptoms must descend the mountain quickly or risk dying.

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