hyperventilation

Examples of hyperventilation in the following topics:

• Breathing Patterns

  • It is important to distinguish these terms from hyperventilation and hypoventilation, which refer to abnormalities in alveolar gas exchange (and thus blood pH) instead of an altered breathing pattern, but they may be associated with an altered breathing pattern.
  • For example dyspnea or tachypnea often occur together with hyperventilation during anxiety attacks, though not always.

• Adjustments at High Altitude

  • At high altitude, in the short term, the lack of oxygen is sensed by the peripheral chemoreceptors, which causes an increase in breathing rate (hyperventilation).
  • However, hyperventilation also causes the adverse effect of alkalosis due to increasing the rate by which carbon dioxide is removed from the body, which inhibits the respiratory center from enhancing the respiratory rate to meet the oxygen demands.

• The Reason for Breathing

  • Alkalosis can happen from hyperventilation (too much breathing) which removes too much carbon dioxide from the bloodstream.
  • Thankfully, negative feedback mechanisms exist so that hyperventilation and hypoventilation can be corrected.

• Alkalosis

  • The main cause of respiratory alkalosis is hyperventilation, resulting in a loss of carbon dioxide.

• Chemical Composition of Bone

  • To compensate for this, the traveler begins to hyperventilate, trying to expel excess carbon dioxide and bring pH back to normal.
  • Respiratory alkalosis is a medical condition in which increased respiration (hyperventilation) elevates the blood pH (a condition generally called alkalosis).

• Hypoxia

  • Hyperventilation, the body's most common response to high-altitude conditions, increases alveolar pO2 by raising the depth and rate of breathing.
  • However, while pO2 does improve with hyperventilation, it does not return to normal.

• Disorders of Acid-Base Balance

  • To compensate for this, the traveler begins to hyperventilate, trying to expel excess carbon dioxide and bring pH back to normal.
  • Respiratory alkalosis is a medical condition in which increased respiration (hyperventilation) elevates the blood pH (a condition generally called alkalosis).

• Chemoreceptor Regulation of Breathing

  • Consider a case in which a person is hyperventilating from an anxiety attack.

• Acidosis

  • This is a result of stimulation to chemoreceptors, which increases alveolar ventilation, leading to respiratory compensation, otherwise known as Kussmaul breathing (a specific type of hyperventilation).

• Homeostatic Responses to Shock

  • The increase in acidity will initiate the Cushing reflex, generating the classic symptoms of shock, where the individual will begin to hyperventilate in order to rid the body of carbon dioxide to raise the pH of the blood (lower the acidity) and resulting in the baroreceptors in the arteries to detect the hypotension and initiating the release of epinephrine and norepinephrine in order to increase the heart rate and blood pressure.