Hyperventilation or panic attacks
Disease information
Hyperventilation or panic attacks
Hyperventilation
or
attack
of panic.
It is
a
very fast breathing in answer to
stress
or anxiety.
This causes that the lungs very quickly eliminate
carbon
dioxide of the blood taking, to the blood to an acidity state.
It is
a
temporary state and it
has
a
easy treatment once made the correct diagnosis.
Complications.
The
hyperventilation
almost
never comes associate to serious physical
diseases
,
but
it can be
a
symptom of
a
panic
disorder
(repeated
attacks
of panic) agoraphobia (
fear
to the open spaces or certain situations) or other phobias, that require specialized treatment.
Prognosis.
The symptoms can be frightful
but
normally they last few minutes (although in some cases hours can last) and do not cause no physical damage.
The psycotherapy or the advising can be advisable in case that the
hyperventilation
appears frequently and is caused by the anxiety.
Diagnosis and treatment.
Diagnosis.
The diagnosis is made by the
clinic
, after discarding some suffering which it can be resembled, like:
an
attack
to the heart (by means of
a
ECG)
respiratory
transtornos (by means of an analytical one of
arterial
gases)
metabolic
upheavals (by means of an analytical general)
Treatment.
During the
attack
, it follows the following instructions to increase dioxide in the blood and to alleviate the symptoms:
Cúbrase the mouth and the nose completely with
a
paper stock market (also it serves as
plastic
,
but
he is less safe)
Breathe slowly within stock - market and you return to breathe the same air (the air of stock - market contains additional
carbon
dioxide)
Try to retain the air in the lungs, against the "necessity" to expel it immediately.
Breathe slowly inside and outside stock - market during at least of 1 to 3 minutes.
Leave stock - market and you breathe normally during minutes (it inspires and it
expires
every six seconds)
If outside necessary, the process repeats until the symptoms diminish or disappear.
In case that the symptoms reappeared, the process with as much frequency repeats as it is necessary to him (it can all along take
a
stock market of paper with you like preventive measure)
It does not smoke nor it takes
coffee
,
tea
or drinks with caffein: the nicotine and caffein are stimulating and can exacerbar or precipitate the
attack
.
Medication.
It will have to be prescribed by its
doctor
, and to be oriented to the treatment of transtorno of underlying anxiety.
Activity
.
Avoid those situations that cause the
attacks
to him, until his therapist indicates it.
Diet.
Reduce the caffein consumption (
coffee
,
tea
, tail, chocolate) he is
a
stimulant and it could be the detonator of the
hyperventilation
.
Prevention.
Avoid situations that produce anxiety to him.
Reduce
stress
in its daily life (it learns techniques of relaxation, meditation, etc.
Signs and symptoms.
Fast breathing.
Insensibilidad, creeps and tremors around the mouth, in hands and feet.
Weakness or faint.
Espasmos
muscular
or contractions in the mouth, hands and feet.
Faint (occasionally)
Dolores in the chest.
I navigate or mental
disorder
.
Factors of risk.
Underlying emotional conflicts (
fear
or phobias)
Stress
.
Feelings of culpability.
Fatigue or
hyperactivity
.
Disease
.
Tabaquismo.
Excessive
alcoholic
consumption.
The stimulating drugs (anfetamínicos and éxtasis) produce it with facility.
Causes.
The anxiety is the main cause of the
hyperventilation
.
In rare occasions the
hyperventilation
is caused or goes accompanies by
pulmonary
or
cardiac
fever,
diseases
, or serious damages.
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