Hyperpnea
| Hyperpnea | |
|---|---|
| Other names | Hyperpnoea |
| Specialty | Respirology |
Hyperpnea is increased volume of air during breathing. It can occur with or without an increase in respiration rate. It is characterized by deep breathing.[1][2] It may be physiologic—as when required to meet metabolic demand of body tissues (for example, during or after exercise, or when the body lacks oxygen at high altitude or as a result of anemia)—or it may be pathologic, as when sepsis is severe.
Hyperpnea is distinguished from tachypnea, which is a respiratory rate greater than normal, resulting in rapid and shallow breaths.[3] Hyperpnea is also distinguished from hyperventilation, which is over-ventilation (an increase in minute ventilation), which involves an increase in volume and respiration rate, resulting in rapid and deep breaths, and a decrease in the arterial partial pressure of carbon dioxide (PaCO2) in the body. This decrease in CO2 concentration results in symptoms of light-headedness, tingling in peripheries, visual disturbances, etc. Hyperventilation is compensatory in metabolic acidosis, when the increased CO2 needs to be breathed off.[4]
Etymology and pronunciation
The word hyperpnea uses combining forms of hyper- + -pnea, yielding "excessive breathing". See pronunciation information at dyspnea.