Definition of Hypoxia
Hypoxia is a medical terminology denoting reduction in the amount of oxygen being supplied to the red blood cell and other tissues of the body.
Symptom of hypoxia
This include: Difficulty in breathing, feeling dizzy, fainting, feeling confused, headache, Increased heart rate (tachycardia), tunnel vision, A blueish coloration of the lip, finger tips and toes,(cyanosis) etc.
Causes of Hypoxia
1. Higher Altitude: People living on the mountain and elevated area of the earth like in Korea are more prone to hypoxia because there is an insufficient supply of oxygen to this area because of the higher altitude.
2. Lung Ailments: Illness of the lung such as cancer of the lung, pneumonia, asthma, pulmonary fibrosis and other lung diseases can lead to hypoxia.
3. Insufficient Ventilation: Inability to breath enough due to stroke (when the brain fails to direct the lung to breath well), obstruction of the airway, choking, suffocation, cardiac arrest, etc can as well lead to hypoxia.
4. Poisoning due to carbon monoxide: This prevent the hemoglobin in the red blood cell from binding with oxygen, thus leading to hypoxia.
Other Causes of hypoxia includes: pernicious anemia, swelling of the visceral tissues like the heart, internal blood clotting which obstruct blood carrying oxygen, cyanide poisoning, etc..
Treatment of Hypoxia
Proper ventilation to the affected patient either though oxygen therapy or through mechanical ventilator. In cases of a very severe hypoxia, hyperbaric oxygen treatment might be helpful. Also in cases of hypoxia due to other medical conditions like stroke, high blood pressure, treatment of the underlying ailments help in relieving the hypoxia.
Ways of preventing Hypoxia include: proper ventilation to our surroundings, afforestation as this help in increasing the amount of oxygen being supplied by plants during photosynthesis. Also, bad habit like smoking which could lead to lung cancer should be quit...
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