$Unique_ID{PAR00106}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Medical Advice:  Hyperventilation}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Chasnoff, Ira J}
$Subject{Hyperventilation syndrome breathing difficulty difficulties breath
breathe full breaths air hunger Tingling numbness hands feet numb Muscle spasm
spasms Faint Fainting exhale carbon dioxide fingers ankles toes nervous
tension fear anxiety depression sighing sigh hyperventilate hyperventilating}
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Your Child:  A Medical Guide


Hyperventilation


     Quick Reference

     SYMPTOMS
     - Feeling of difficulty in breathing, although the child is actually
       getting many full breaths of air
     - Tingling or numbness in the hands and feet
     - Muscle spasms
     - Fainting

     HOME CARE
     - Remain calm and reassure the child.
     - Have the child breathe into a paper bag placed loosely over the mouth
       and nose.

     PRECAUTION
     - Rapid, deep breathing that causes fainting has become a party stunt in
       some circles.  Discourage this kind of game.


     Hyperventilation syndrome is a condition characterized by the sensation
of breathing difficulty or "air hunger."  The child complains, often bitterly
or fearfully, of being unable to "get enough air," while at the same time
taking deep breaths in and out with no apparent difficulty.
     Unlike the many conditions that cause genuine difficulty in breathing
(for example, asthma, bronchiolitis, diphtheria, the common cold, croup, hay
fever, and pneumonia), hyperventilation syndrome is not a physical illness at
all.  There is no cough, nor is there any obstruction or abnormal sound to the
breathing.  The temperature and color are both normal.
     The symptoms of hyperventilation are due to breathing that is too rapid
or too deep, which causes the child to exhale too much carbon dioxide.
(Although carbon dioxide is a waste product of the body--produced in the cells
as a result of food usage, carried by the blood to the lungs, and then
exhaled--the respiratory center in the brain requires the presence of a
certain amount of carbon dioxide in the blood for breathing to continue
normally.)  As the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood drops as a
result of hyperventilation, the child will experience tingling and numbness in
the hands and feet, followed by spasms of the muscles that control the hands,
fingers, ankles, and toes.  If hyperventilation continues, fainting occurs.
     In most cases, the underlying cause of the abnormal breathing of
hyperventilation is essentially the same as that of sighing--nervous tension,
fear, anxiety, or depression.  In fact, the deep breathing can often be
recognized as sighing, one sigh right after another.

SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS

     Close observation will determine if your child is having difficulty in
breathing or is actually getting many full breaths of air in and out.
Hyperventilation syndrome is not accompanied by cough or fever, and there is
no abnormal sound during breathing.
     Hyperventilation syndrome is more common in older children and teenagers.
Children who tend to hyperventilate may have repeated attacks.

HOME CARE

     It is important to remain calm and to reassure the child.  Have your
child breathe into a large paper bag held loosely over the mouth and nose.
This will allow the child to rebreathe exhaled carbon dioxide.
     If fainting occurs, recovery will follow naturally.  The child will
breathe normally while unconscious, allowing the carbon dioxide concentration
in the blood to return to an appropriate level.
     Look for such causes of hyperventilation as intolerable pressures or
anxieties in the child's surroundings--at home, at school, or in relationships
with friends.

PRECAUTION

  -  Hyperventilation syndrome can be the result of rapid, prolonged, forced
     deep breathing, which is a party stunt in some circles.  Encourage other
     kinds of games.

MEDICAL TREATMENT

     Treatment of the underlying cause of hyperventilation syndrome depends on
identifying possible sources of stress and emotional upset for your child.
Psychiatric counseling may be recommended in severe cases.

RELATED TOPICS:  Asthma; Bronchiolitis; Bronchitis; Common cold; Croup;
Diphtheria; Fainting; Hay fever and other nasal allergies; Pneumonia;
Shortness of breath