What Can Cause Hyperventilation?

Severe Pain Or Bleeding

Patients experiencing severe pain or bleeding often hyperventilate. In this case, hyperventilation can be caused by panic at having an injury or medical procedure and by the pain itself. For example, some patients with medical phobias who are having blood tests or injections may have episodes of hyperventilation before and during these procedures. Individuals brought in to an emergency room after an accident may also hyperventilate due to the stress of this experience. Medical staff caring for these patients will try to take steps to help them relax and begin breathing at a slower rate. The use of anti-anxiety drugs or sedatives may help patients slow down their breathing. Sometimes, just stopping the bleeding or stitching up a wound will be enough to help a patient normalize their breathing. Many pain-relieving drugs, including morphine, reduce both pain and respiration rates.

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Heart Attacks And Related Conditions

Heart attacks and related conditions frequently result in hyperventilation. Patients having cardiovascular events generally describe a feeling of being short of breath, and they also feel tightness or a squeezing sensation in the chest. In addition, many cardiovascular episodes are accompanied by fatigue, cold sweats, nausea, heartburn, abdominal pain, and dizziness. Some patients may have pain in the shoulders, jaw, back, or arms. Patients who suspect they may be having a heart attack or other cardiovascular event should go to an emergency room immediately. Doctors will perform blood tests, an electrocardiogram, and other cardiac tests to determine the specific nature of the problem, and emergency stents or other surgical procedures may be needed. To prevent a heart attack, patients should try to maintain a healthy weight, practice health stress management, practice healthy nutrition, and maintain normal blood pressure and cholesterol readings.

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