Hypoxia essays

Hypoxia essays Hypoxia is a condition in humans that is caused by the reduction in partial pressure of oxygen, inadequate oxygen transport, or when tissues are simply unable to make use of the oxygen provided. This disease occurs in the tissues and brain. It results in a shortness of breath, and an overall impairment of function. Anoxia is the extreme form of hypoxia, and it occurs when there is absolutely no oxygen at all in the body that the brain and tissues can make proper use of. There are five different types of hypoxia. These types are hypoxemic hypoxia, anemic hypoxia, stagnant hypoxia, histoxic hypoxia, and pemic hypoxia. Hypoxemic hypoxia happens when there is a reduction in the amount of oxygen passing into the blood, resulting in too much hemoglobin and not enough oxygen. Therefore the oxygen pressure in the blood that is traveling to the tissues is too low to saturate the large amounts of hemoglobin. Hypoxemic hypoxia is caused by a reduced gas exchange area, exposure to high altitude, or by lung disease. Hypoxemic hypoxia has also been proven to be hazardous to aviators, mountain climbers, and generally in people living at high altitudes because the lowered barometric pressure causes the supply of oxygen to decrease. Anemic hypoxia occurs when there is not enough hemoglobin that is functional, and so the capacity of blood capable to carry oxygen is too low. In anemic hypoxia either the entire amount of the hemoglobin is too small to supply the bodys oxygen requirements-as in anemia or after severe bleeding-or the hemoglobin that is present is useless-such as in carbon monoxide poisoning and metho-globinuria. In both of the latter cases the hemoglobin is so altered by toxic agents that it becomes unavailable for any oxygen transport, and therefore is no longer useful to the respiratory system. Anemia is one of the most frequent cases of anemic hypoxia. It is a condition due to the healthy red blood cel...