Hypoxemia, or low-blood oxygen, also called hypoxia, can result from illnesses, injuries or diseases. Supplemental oxygen typically corrects the problem and medication prevents susceptibility in patients with chronic conditions. Treatments for some causes of hypoxemia also warrant lobe or lung removal, further compromising breathing ability.
Asthma
A feeling as though you've got someone sitting on your chest, wondering if the next breath will come; this describes what asthma feels like. Excessive perspiration and rapid heartbeat may possibly manifest in response to a lack of oxygen as well. In the case of hypoxemia in an asthma sufferer, a puff on a rescue inhaler usually corrects the oxygen imbalance. Asthma sufferers may feel as though they cannot get enough oxygen in, when in reality, they cannot blow enough carbon dioxide off.
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), a composite of three diseases (asthma, emphysema and bronchitis), costs the United States an estimated $38 billion annually in medical care and other indirect costs, such as lost days of work as reported by the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute. The course of this disease typically dictates that the sufferer eventually ends up wearing oxygen full-time. To be diagnosed with COPD, a person must show signs of two of the three composite disorders.
Lung Disease / Lung Cancer
Black lung, emphysema and lung cancer all contribute to compromised and incomplete lung expansion. Lung cancer if caught in the early stages may warrant lobe (a part) or lung removal as stated in "The Johns Hopkins Complete Home Guide to Symptoms and Remedies." Chronic hypoxemia may result unless, the patient uses a portable oxygen tank post-operatively.
Panic Disorder
"Taber's Cyclopedic Medical Dictionary" defines panic disorder as an anxiety-based disorder "characterized by panic attacks." Sufferers of panic disorder may feel a sudden sharp, shortness of breath and dizziness and may experience hyperventilation. These typically short-lived attacks escalate quickly and may even cause the sufferer to faint. Numbness, tingling and fears of dying may manifest. These attacks are sometimes relieved through emergency oxygen administration and change in surroundings--getting outside in the fresh air.
Pneumothorax
A pneumothorax occurs as a result of a puncture wound or a perforation of the chest wall or lining of the lung. A pneumothorax is a dangerous medical emergency requiring immediate intervention lest the lung collapse. Sudden shortness of breath and severe breathing difficulty; extreme chest pain with breathing in, a rapid heart beat and possibly blood sputum indicate possible pneumothorax. Treatment by insertion of a chest tube is the immediate and most common intervention.
References
- The Mayo Clinic
- "The Johns Hopkins Complete Home Guide to Symptoms and Remedies;" Black Dog & Leventhal; 2004
- "Health and Quality of Life Outcomes;" Palliative Care Provision for Patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; 2007
- "Taber's Cyclopedia Medical Dictionary;" Donald Venes; 2009
