Table of contents:
- What is the difference between hypoxia and hypoxemia?
- How do you tell the difference between the two?
- What causes hypoxia?
- What are the symptoms of hypoxia?
- Hypoxia treatment steps
- How to prevent hypoxia?
Have you ever heard of hypoxia or hypoxemia? Both hypoxemia and hypoxia are conditions in which your body doesn't have enough oxygen. Both are very dangerous conditions; because in the absence of oxygen, the brain, liver, and other organs in the body will be damaged even a few minutes after symptoms appear.
Hypoxia and hypoxemia are often misunderstood as one and the same term, because they both describe the emergency due to lack of oxygen in the body. However, hypoxemia and hypoxia are two completely different conditions. Here's the explanation.
What is the difference between hypoxia and hypoxemia?
Hypoxemia is low levels of oxygen in the blood, especially in the arteries. Hypoxemia is a sign of a problem in the circulatory or respiratory system that can cause shortness of breath.
Meanwhile, hypoxia is a low level of oxygen in the body's tissues as a result of low oxygen levels in the air. Hypoxia can have an adverse effect on body tissues, because the lack of oxygen levels in the tissues will interfere with important biological processes in body tissues.
How do you tell the difference between the two?
Hypoxemia is determined by measuring the oxygen level in a blood sample taken from an artery or by measuring the oxygen saturation of your blood using a pulse oximeter. Normal arterial oxygen is 75 to 100 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
Normal arterial oxygen levels below 60 mmHg usually indicate that your blood needs supplemental oxygen. While the reading with an oximeter can be said to be normal, ranging from 95 to 100 percent. An oximeter value below 90 percent indicates that the oxygen level in your blood is low. Meanwhile, hypoxia is an advanced condition of hypoxemia, so if the oxygen level in the blood is low, it increases the risk of hypoxia.
Hypoxia occurs as a result of hypoxemia, so that in the end these two things are inseparable events
What causes hypoxia?
The main cause of hypoxia is hypoxemia. However, hypoxia can also be caused by several conditions that make a person at low oxygen levels, including when at an altitude, such as when climbing a mountain, being in a closed room without good air circulation, poisoning with gases or chemicals, certain diseases - such as sleep apnea, asthma, anemia, emphysema, interstitial lung disease, etc.
What are the symptoms of hypoxia?
Symptoms of hypoxia often appear suddenly and worsen quickly (acute), or are chronic in nature. Some of the most common symptoms of hypoxia are:
- Hard to breathe
- Cough
- Fatigue
- Fast heart rate
- Hallucinations
- Breath sounds (wheezing)
- The skin changes color, turns blue or purplish red
Often, ignorance makes someone who is experiencing hypoxia given excessive oxygen assistance. In fact, excess oxygen can actually poison body tissues. This condition is called hyperoxia which can cause cataracts, vertigo, seizures, and pneumonia.
Hypoxia treatment steps
You are advised to consult a doctor if:
- Shortness of breath after activity or rest
- Shortness of breath during exercise or physical exercise
- Waking up from sleep due to shortness of breath (one of the symptoms of sleep apnea)
- Bluish lips and skin (cyanosis)
If you experience these symptoms or some of the symptoms mentioned above, immediately consult a doctor in order to get the right treatment. And even though the further symptoms have disappeared, you are still advised to regularly see a doctor.
How to prevent hypoxia?
Hypoxia prevention can be done by avoiding causes or conditions that can decrease oxygen levels in your body. If hypoxia is caused by asthma, then to avoid a worse situation, you are advised to follow asthma therapy - as recommended by your doctor. And to deal with chronic shortness of breath, try to stop being active smokers, avoid passive smoke, especially from cigarette smoke, and do regular exercise.
