Recognizing hypoventilation disorders: when the breath feels short or slow & bull; hello healthy

Breathing is a process or activity that is vital for survival because oxygen is needed by every cell of the body. That is why, when there is a lack of oxygen, metabolic processes and various physiological processes of the organs can be disrupted. As a result, this can lead to slow damage to cardiovascular organs, especially the heart. Lack of inhaled oxygen can occur if a person has hypoventilation disorders.

What is hypoventilation?

Hypoventilation is defined as a disorder when a person breathes too short or too slowly so that the oxygen supply needed by the body occurs very slowly. This disorder can occur together with diseases of the respiratory system that cause a person to get too little oxygen and is also accompanied by hypercapnia or increased levels of carbon dioxide in the respiratory system.

Hypoventilation disorders can be acute or chronic depending on the condition or disorder that caused them. Hypoventilation can be experienced by anyone who has risk factors. This disorder can occur in young and elderly individuals.

The most common age range for hypoventilation is 20-50 years. Male individuals are more likely to experience hypoventilation because disorders that cause hypoventilation are more common in men.

Types of hypoventilation disorders based on the cause

Specifically, there are five possible causes for someone to experience hypoventilation, including:

• Central alveolar hypoventilation - or central alveolar hypoventilation is a type of hypoventilation caused by central nervous system disorders, either due to disease, genetic factors, the influence of drugs on the central nervous system, accidental trauma, or the presence of a neoplasm. This type of hypoventilation is characterized by the brain not giving signals to the respiratory tract muscles to breathe deeper and faster even though oxygen levels are insufficient.
• Obesity hypoventilation syndrome - Overweight or obesity is known to be a contributing factor to hypoventilation because it can interfere with the central respiratory system that causes it hypercapnia and obstructive sleep disorders sleep apnea .
• Hypoventilation due to neuromuscular disorders - occurs due to disruption of the coordination of the nervous system with the respiratory muscles which causes the airway muscles to work abnormally and inhibits the oxygen exchange process. This type of hypoventilation can be experienced by people with neuromuscular disorders such as myasthenia gravis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis , Guillain-Barré syndrome, and muscular dystrophy.
• Hypoventilation due to deformity around the chest - Hypoventilation conditions caused by various deformities such as kyphoscoliosis (spinal deformity), fibrothorax (fibrous tissue disorders around the lungs) and side effects due to surgery.
• Chronic pulmonary obstruction (COPD) - Hypoventilation is a common disorder in COPD sufferers, but this is also influenced by other factors in the sufferer such as breathing ability, genetics, and the condition of the respiratory tract muscles.

This can happen if someone is hypoventilating

Hypoventilation symptoms can vary depending on the factors or diseases that affect it. In hypoventilation caused by central nervous disorders and obesity, symptoms of oxygen deficiency can worsen when the patient is asleep but tends to be normal when awake during the day. Some of the typical symptoms of hypoventilation are as follows:

• Fatigue
• Often sleepy
• Headache in the morning
• Swelling of the feet, especially the heel area
• Do not feel energized after waking up from sleep
• Often wakes up during sleep at night
• Changes in skin color to blue due to hypoxia
• Changes in skin color to redness in obese people

Hypoventilation can also cause complications, including:

• Decreased cognitive abilities
• Depression and emotional disturbances
• Hypertension
• Right heart failure (cor pulmonale)

Prevention and countermeasures

Hypoventilation associated with certain disorders or diseases can be prevented by eliminating risk factors such as obesity and pulmonary disorders. However, in hypoventation associated with impaired coordination of the central nervous system and respiratory muscles, there is no specific prevention, especially if the disorder of one of the two is genetic. However, if hypoventilation disorder tends to appear during sleep, it can be minimized by avoiding the use of drugs that make you sleepy.

Hypoventilation treatment can vary depending on the conditions that caused it. To stimulate the action of the respiratory system, certain types of drugs may be used but may not always work. Types of countermeasures play a role in helping breathing, such as:

• Mechanical ventilation is like a breathing aid in the form of a mask that helps breathe through the mouth and nose.
• Oxygen therapy
• Creation of a hole around the neck for breathing (tracheostomy) in serious cases of hypoventilation.