Library · Disease
Hypoxia
Make it clearer
Hypoxia is a lack of oxygen in the tissues. It happens when the oxygen reaching a tissue is not enough to maintain its homeostasis, the internal balance it needs to function.
Think of the blood as a line of trucks delivering oxygen. The tissue comes up short because too few trucks arrive or because they arrive nearly empty. The first is a low blood supply. The second is blood that carries little oxygen, and that has its own name: hypoxemia. That is why hypoxia and hypoxemia are not the same thing: hypoxemia is one of the ways to end up with hypoxia.
Hypoxia can be acute, when it comes on suddenly, or chronic, when it persists over time. When it is acute, it can cause dyspnea, the feeling of being short of breath, and tachypnea, which is breathing faster. And the more severe the hypoxia is, the more severe the symptoms usually are.
In brief
Hypoxia occurs when the oxygen in the tissues is not enough to maintain proper homeostasis.
It can arise because too little oxygen reaches the tissues, either from a low blood supply or because the blood carries little oxygen, which is called hypoxemia.
The tissue comes up short because too few trucks arrive or they arrive nearly empty.
It occurs in acute or chronic forms; acute hypoxia can cause dyspnea and tachypnea, and how severe the symptoms are usually depends on how severe the hypoxia is.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingHypoxia and Hypoxemia, StatPearlsPublished
This page explains the topic in general terms; it does not tell anyone what treatment to follow.
Updated