Hyperventilation

Hyperventilation
Powerpoint presentation by:Pat Confer


What is Hyperventilation?

* Hyperventilation (hyperpnea) or over breathing is a type of breathing in which breaths are taken at a faster rate or breaths become much deeper than normal.


Physiology of Hyperventilation

* Increases in the breathing rate results in more carbon dioxide withdraw from the blood.
* During this carbonic acid levels lower in the blood and raise the pH value of the blood.
* This decrease in CO2 is known as hypocapnia
* Low levels of carbon CO2 cause blood vessels to constrict resulting in a number of different consequences.


Symptoms of Hyperventilation

* shortness of breath, belching, bloating, dry mouth, weakness, numbness and tingling in your arms or around your mouth, muscle spasms in hands and feet, chest pain, various lung diseases, palpitations
* dizziness or lightheadedness, confusion, sleep disturbances, stroke

Causes of Hyperventilation

* Anxiety and nervousness
* stress
* panic attack
* stimulant use
* lung disease such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease(COPD), or pulmonary embolism (blood clot in the lung)

Causes continued

* infection such as pneumonia or sepsis
* cardiac disease such as congestive heart failure or heart attack
* severe pain
* bleeding
* drugs (such as an aspirin overdose)
* pregnancy
* ketoacidosis and similar medical conditions

Psychology of Hyperventilation

* Often brought upon by stress and/or anxiety
* Often seen in cases of anxiety disorders. Such disorders include:
o panic disorder
o generalized anxiety disorder
o specific phobia
o social phobia
o acute stress disorder

Psychology Continued

* Hyperventilation is also associated with different other anxiety disorders classified by the DMS-IV
o adjustment disorders with anxious features
o anxiety disorders due to general medical conditions
o substance-induced anxiety disorders
o residual category of anxiety disorder not otherwise specified

Fight or Flight

* Hyperventilation can be seen as a fight or flight response.
* It is possible that this biological response is an effort by the body to prepare for flight or fight
* The increase of O2 in the blood coupled with the decrease of CO2 in the blood would allow for better muscular response.

Anticipatory Response

* It is hypothesized that hyperventilation onset occurs before the stimulus.
* Thus hyperventilation can be seen as an anticipatory response in which the brain anticipates the undesired stimulus and prepares the body for that stimulus.
* Comparable to the flight or fight response.

The Fear Cycle

Immediate Treatment

* Relaxation techniques
* Breathing into a paper bag is not recommended
* Doctors will often perform tests to determine whether hyperventilation is psychological or physiological
* Tests include
o Arterial blood sample
o Chest x-ray
o Ventilation/perfusion scan
o Chest CT scan
o ECG

Spirometers

* Devices used to determine lung functioning
* Comes in several different varieties.
* A spirometer measures both the amount of air expelled and how quickly the air was expelled from the lungs.
* Spirometers display a volume-time curve.
* Results are compared to the average expected in someone of the same age, height, sex, and race, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

References
Hyperventilation.ppt