Causes of hyperventilation
Hyperventilation symptoms can be similar to symptoms that are caused by another problem. Hyperventilation can also be directly caused by:
- A medical condition or disease. Examples include:
- Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
- A blood clot, such as a pulmonary embolus.
- Fluid in the lungs, such as pulmonary edema.
- Heart disease.
- Infection, such as pneumonia.
- Kidney disease.
- Liver disease.
- Scarring of the lungs, such as pulmonary fibrosis.
- Severe anemia.
- Shock.
- Thyroid problems, such as Graves' disease and hyperthyroidism.
- A rapid increase in altitude.
- Exercise.
- Fever.
- Ingestion or overdose of drugs, including amphetamine, aspirin, asthma medicines, cocaine, iron, LSD, or methamphetamine.
- Nervous system problems, such as head injuries, encephalitis, meningitis, or stroke.
- Physical problems that cause pressure on or within the chest, such as:
- Chest wall injury.
- Collapsed lung (pneumothorax).
- Pregnancy.
- Severe abdominal fluid retention (ascites).
- Situations where there is a psychological advantage for a person to have a sudden, dramatic illness.
| Author: | Sydney Youngerman-Cole, RN, BSN, RNC | Last Updated: November 21, 2006 |
| Medical Review: | William M. Green, MD - Emergency Medicine Malin K. Clark, MD, FRCPC - Psychiatry | |
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