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Your lungs and your kidneys do much of the work to keep your acid-base balance normal. If your blood and tissues become even slightly too acidic or too basic (alkaline), it can seriously affect many of your organs and even become life-threatening. The carbon dioxide measurement shows and how well your lungs remove carbon dioxide from your blood when you breath out.Ĭarbon dioxide is an acidic waste product that your body makes. In an ABG test, the blood oxygen measurement shows how well your lungs move oxygen from the air into your blood when you breath in. The blood sample is taken from an artery, which is a blood vessel that carries oxygen-rich blood from your lungs to your body. This is called your acid-base balance or your pH level. It also checks the acidity of your blood. Travel to high altitude.An arterial blood gas (ABG) test measures the amount of oxygen and carbon dioxide in your blood.
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Primary hyperventilation in the emergency department: A first overview. American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, 195 Persistent hyperventilation following high altitude exposure. You can learn more about how we ensure our content is accurate and current by reading our editorial policy. We link primary sources - including studies, scientific references, and statistics - within each article and also list them in the resources section at the bottom of our articles. Medical News Today has strict sourcing guidelines and draws only from peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions, and medical journals and associations. For example, people with asthma may have respiratory problems at lower altitudes. In some people, hyperventilation may start at elevations lower than 8,000 feet. At an altitude of around 8,000 feet, a low oxygen level may lead to breathing problems, including hyperventilation. When a person is at a high altitude, the air pressure and oxygen level decrease, which can make breathing more difficult.Īt a high altitude, the lungs have to work harder to get oxygen into the body. Other symptoms include nausea, excessive thirst, and frequent urination. Hyperventilation is one of the symptoms of diabetic ketoacidosis. If the body relies on fats for too long, byproducts called ketones can build up in the body. It can occur if the body does not have enough insulin for energy and burns fat instead.
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Diabetic ketoacidosisĭiabetic ketoacidosis is a complication of diabetes. If a lung disease causes hyperventilation, symptoms may also include wheezing, chest pain, and coughing. The airways may narrow, making someone work harder to get air into the lungs, which could lead to rapid breathing.
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Lung diseasesĬertain lung diseases, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma, can make breathing more difficult. Anyone with a serious head injury should see a doctor immediately. If a person has a head injury, it can lead to changes in the breathing rate, including hyperventilation.Īdditional symptoms of a head injury include a headache, nausea, and confusion. The brain plays an essential role in controlling breathing. Infections such as pneumonia can cause swelling and a buildup of fluid in the lungs, which could lead to fast breathing. Some types of infections in the body can lead to hyperventilation. Some doctors refer to hyperventilation due to emotions as “hyperventilation syndrome.” Infection One study of people experiencing hyperventilation found that the most common additional symptom was fear.Ībout half of the people in the study also had a psychiatric condition. One of the most common causes of hyperventilation is emotional distress, including panic, fear, or anxiety.
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Possible causes of hyperventilation include: Fear, panic, or stress Instead, it is a symptom of another condition or the result of emotional distress.
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