Hyperventilation

Over-breathing sometimes associated with anxiety and marked by reduction of blood carbon dioxide, producing complaints of light-headedness, faintness, tingling of the extremities, palpitations, and respiratory distress.

Increased pulmonary ventilation, especially ventilation that exceeds metabolic requirements; carbon dioxide is blown off, leading to a decrease in its partial pressure in arterial blood.

Excessive rapid and deep breathing. May be brought on by excitement.

Abnormally rapid and deep breathing.

Very fast breathing which can be accompanied by dizziness or tetany.

Ventilation rate in the lungs that is greater than demanded by body needs, the result of too frequent and/or too deep breathing; often associated with emphysema; asthma; hyperthyroidism; central nervous system disorders; increased metabolic needs from fever, infection, or exercise; or acute anxiety or pain. The carbon dioxide level in the blood decreases, and the oxygen level increases. Symptoms include faintness, tingling of the fingers and toes, and, if continued, chest pain and respiratory alkalosis.

Increased or rapid respiratory rate that produces low alveolar carbon dioxide levels.

rapid, deep breathing, caused by excitement, anxiety, or other factors, that lowers the carbon dioxide content of the blood. Symptoms include dizziness, confusion, faintness, and muscle cramps.

Excessive, rapid, deep breathing that leads to reduced carbon dioxide in the blood. Hyperventilation usually occurs in people who are anxious or tense, but it may be a symptom of specific disorders, including asthma, croup, severe pain, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COED), pneumonia, pleurisy, and other diseases. People who hyperventilate may complain of numbness or tingling in the lips, mouth, hands or feet; they may have muscle twitching; or they may faint. Hyperventilation usually occurs in young adults, more often in women than in men. If symptoms persist for more than 15 minutes despite breathing into a paper bag, or if the person complains of chest pain, medical help should be sought. If no medical problem is found, relaxation techniques are often the mainstay of therapy.

Breathing at an abnormally rapid rate at rest. This can be done deliberately and causes unconsciousness by lowering the carbon dioxide concentration in the blood. It occurs clinically if the carbon dioxide level is abnormally high as a result of impaired gas exchange in the lungs, which occurs, for example, in pneumonia.

An abnormally rapid resting respiratory rate. If voluntarily induced, it causes lightheadedness and then unconsciousness by lowering the blood tension of carbon dioxide.

Increased minute volume ventilation, which results in a lowered carbon dioxide (C02) level (hypocapnia). It is a frequent finding in many disease processes such as asthma, metabolic acidosis, pulmonary embolism, and pulmonary edema, and also in anxiety-induced states.

Rapid, deep breathing, sometimes accompanied by dizziness, chest pains, and fainting, that lowers the level of carbon dioxide in the blood.

Hyperventilation refers to an unusually deep or fast breathing pattern. It’s often brought on by stress or anxiety. However, it can also stem from conditions such as unmanaged diabetes mellitus, kidney failure, a lack of oxygen, certain lung diseases, or misuse of stimulant drugs.

Hyperventilation results in an unusual reduction of carbon dioxide in the blood, contributing to an increase in blood alkalinity. Symptoms of this condition can include feeling faint, numbness in the hands and feet, painful muscle cramps and twitches particularly in the extremities, known as tetany, and a feeling of being unable to take a complete breath.