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Hypoxia (hypoxia of the body) is a state of tissue hypoxia resulting most often from hypoxemia, i.e. oxygen deficiency in the blood. It can be life threatening if it develops rapidly. It is worth finding out what diseases lead to this condition and what are the symptoms of hypoxia.
Hypoxiais a state of tissue hypoxia, so it is ahypoxia of the whole organism . Usually it is caused by hypoxemia, that is, lack of oxygen in the blood, both terms are very similar, as is the condition they describe. However, it is worth remembering that these phenomena are not the same, and hypoxia does not always result from hypoxemia.
Hypoxia is caused by, among others, lung disease and heart disease, but also cyanide poisoning, it is worth remembering that the symptoms of mountain sickness also result from hypoxia. Hypoxia is also often referred to in severe COVID-19.
The ailments associated with this condition are primarily cyanosis, faster heartbeat, faster breathing, as well as headaches and dizziness, but the symptoms of a disease leading to hyposxia are always in the foreground.
Hypoxia: causes
They can lead to hypoxia:
- respiratory system diseasesimpairing gas exchange - oxygen penetration into the blood, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in which there is a thickening of the alveolar walls and ineffective gas exchange , emphysema, or atelectasis
- blood diseases : anemia (also anemia after hemorrhages), carbon monoxide poisoning (which prevents hemoglobin from binding oxygen), so-called heart leakage defects in which oxygenated blood is mixed with deoxygenated. As a result, blood with a reduced oxygen content reaches the tissues
- cardiovascular diseasesimpairing the work of the heart, e.g. heart failure, in which, despite normal demand, blood does not deliver enough oxygen to the tissues due to insufficient flow
- pulmonary edema , i.e. the accumulation of fluid in the alveoli, which impairs gas exchange, leads to hypoxemia, and then to hypoxia
- pulmonary embolism , causing a significant reduction in blood flow through the lungs, and consequently too little oxygenation of it.
The relative state of oxygen deficiency is cyanide poisoning, which damages the mitochondria and prevents the incorporation of the supplied oxygen into metabolic pathways, ie "use" by cells. This intensifies the anaerobic processes in the cell, from which it gains energy.
A commonly known, but rare cause of hypoxia is low oxygen concentration in the breathing mixture, e.g. while in the mountains, at high altitudes (so-called altitude sickness).
Another mechanism is the increased demand of tissues for oxygen, which is not provided by the circulatory system. It occurs, for example, during prolonged physical exertion, and then it develops "controlled" hypoxia because the blood cannot keep up with the supply of oxygen to the muscles, their metabolism changes, and they obtain energy from anaerobic processes. It is a less efficient metabolism, but it ensures uninterrupted muscle work, despite the lack of oxygen.
Hypoxia: symptoms
Sudden and severe hypoxia causes the cell metabolism to switch to anaerobic processes, which results in the production of lactic acid, which leads to acidosis, i.e. a decrease in pH in cells.
If this condition is not corrected in time and the lactic acid is removed from the cells, cell death can occur, and if there are many of them, organ failure, which is a direct threat to life.
Much more often hypoxia is chronic and then it is not so dangerous, because the body is able to adapt to the limited supply of oxygen, of course within certain limits.
The most characteristic symptom iscentral cyanosis , a bluish discoloration of the lips, tongue and mucous membranes, occurs when the amount of unoxidized hemoglobin in the arterial blood is greater than 5%.
Other ailments result from oxygen deficiency in the central nervous system, they are:
- headaches
- dizziness
- visual disturbance
- fatigue
- sleepiness
- sometimes shortness of breath
In addition, there are symptoms of the underlying disease, which is the cause of hypoxia - heart or lung diseases.
Long-term hypoxia mobilizes the bone marrow to produce erythrocytes, their number increases, resulting in hyperemia.
Increased heartbeat and faster breathing are an expression of the body's attempt to compensate for the lack of oxygen. If one blood portion does not contain enough oxygen, it is delivered more frequently to cover the demand.
Similarly with the breath, if only one breath is not getting enough oxygen,the body uses more of them so that the total amount of oxygen supplied would be constant.
Long-term hypoxia may lead to pulmonary hypertension and heart failure due to overload.
Another symptom that appears at an advanced stage is the so-called club fingers, in which, due to oxygen deficiency, the connective tissue of the fingers becomes overgrown by an unknown mechanism.
Hypoxia: treatment
Hypoxia can be cured only after its cause: lung disease, cardiovascular disease or anemia is cured.
Occasional oxygen therapy is used - pure oxygen is given for breathing to increase the amount contained in the blood, and thus delivered to the tissues.
Hypoxia prevention is all about regularly treating and controlling the diseases that can lead to it, especially lung diseases.