Abstract: Objective Since the 21st century，the research on altitude sickness has achieved rapid development in China. The purpose of this paper is to explore the research hotspots and scientific frontiers in the field of altitude sickness in China，and to provide reference for the follow-up research in this field. Methods Taking CNKI database as the search object，3 797 articles published from January 2000 to July 2021 were selected. CiteSpace scientific measurement tool was used to carrying out the metrological analysis and knowledge mapping. Results The number of literature on plateau sickness was generally on the rise from 2000 to 2021. The research focuses on the etiology，pathology and clinical prevention and treatment of "high altitude pulmonary edema，high altitude brain edema and high altitude polycythemia"，as well as the exploratory research on high altitude factors. The pathological mechanism represented by "oxidative stress" and "inflammatory response"，magnetic resonance imaging of altitude sickness and altitude medicine are the research frontiers in the past three years. Conclusions The study of altitude sickness focus on the directions of clinical diagnosis and treatment，etiology and pathology of acute or chronic plateau sickness in the past 20 years. There are few literature on biochemistry，molecular genetics and environmental occupational health related to altitude sickness. In the future，it is necessary to strengthen the researches on molecular biochemistry，genetics and environmental health to promote the systematic and holistic study of altitude sickness.

Key words: Altitude sickness, Knowledge mapping, Research focus, High altitude medicine