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Emphysema is a lower respiratory tract disease, [7] characterised by enlarged air-filled spaces in the lungs, that can vary in size and may be very large. The spaces are caused by the breakdown of the walls of the alveoli , which replace the spongy lung tissue .
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a type of progressive lung disease characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms and airflow limitation. [8] GOLD 2024 defined COPD as a heterogeneous lung condition characterized by chronic respiratory symptoms (dyspnea or shortness of breath, cough, sputum production or exacerbations) due to abnormalities of the airways (bronchitis ...
Respiratory failure results from inadequate gas exchange by the respiratory system, meaning that the arterial oxygen, carbon dioxide, or both cannot be kept at normal levels. A drop in the oxygen carried in the blood is known as hypoxemia; a rise in arterial carbon dioxide levels is called hypercapnia. Respiratory failure is classified as ...
Hypoglycemia, also called low blood sugar or low blood glucose, is a blood-sugar level below 70 mg/dL (3.9 mmol/L). [ 3 ] [ 5 ] Blood-sugar levels naturally fluctuate throughout the day, the body normally maintaining levels between 70 and 110 mg/dL (3.9–6.1 mmol/L).
A decreased respiratory drive can also be the result of metabolic alkalosis, a state of decreased carbon dioxide in the blood; Central sleep apnea. During sleep, the breathing centers of the brain can pause their activity, leading to prolonged periods of apnea with potentially serious consequences. Hyperventilation followed by prolonged breath ...
Assessing and monitoring blood gas levels is the most accurate means to identify a state of respiratory compromise in patients. ABG testing does however require an arterial blood sample, which is more invasive and uncomfortable for patients than a pulse oximetry reading that uses a reading based on light and color.
Whipple's triad is a collection of three signs (called Whipple's criteria) that suggests that a patient's symptoms result from hypoglycaemia that may indicate insulinoma.The essential conditions are symptoms of hypoglycaemia, low blood plasma glucose concentration, and relief of symptoms when plasma glucose concentration is increased.
Acute respiratory acidosis occurs when an abrupt failure of ventilation occurs. This failure in ventilation may be caused by depression of the central respiratory center by cerebral disease or drugs, inability to ventilate adequately due to neuromuscular disease (e.g., myasthenia gravis, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Guillain–Barré syndrome, muscular dystrophy), or airway obstruction ...