Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath (dyspnea).Hypoxemia symptoms vary depending on the severity and underlying cause. Some contagious illnesses, like influenza, pneumonia and COVID-19, can also increase your risk of hypoxemia. People living with heart or lung diseases such as congestive heart failure, COPD or asthma, are at an increased risk for hypoxemia. Who does hypoxemia affect?Īny condition that reduces the amount of oxygen in your blood or restricts blood flow can cause hypoxemia. You can be hypoxemic but not hypoxic and vice-versa. Hypoxemia can lead to hypoxia and they often both appear together, but not always. Hypoxemia is low oxygen levels in your blood and hypoxia is low oxygen levels in your tissues. The names sound similar because they both involve low levels of oxygen, but in different parts of your body. You may hear the words hypoxemia and hypoxia used interchangeably, but they aren’t the same. In situations where it's a long-term problem over months and years, you may hear it referred to as “chronic respiratory failure”. Hypoxemia can happen for a short duration leading to “acute” respiratory failure. It can lead to a lack of oxygen in your body’s organs and tissues ( hypoxia). In severe cases, hypoxemia can interfere with heart and brain function. Mild symptoms include headaches and shortness of breath. This is why lung disease and heart disease both increase your risk of hypoxemia.ĭepending on the severity and duration, hypoxemia can lead to mild symptoms or lead to death. Air and blood flow are both important to having enough oxygen in your blood. Hypoxemia can happen if you can’t breathe in enough oxygen or if the oxygen you breathe in can’t get to your blood. Finally, oxygen travels through your blood to your tissues. Blood vessels (capillaries) travel close to the alveoli and pick up the oxygen. When you breathe in, oxygen from the air travels through your lungs into small air sacks (alveoli). Oxygen gets to your blood through your lungs. Someone with low blood oxygen is considered hypoxemic. If blood oxygen levels are too low, your body may not work properly. Hypoxemia is when oxygen levels in the blood are lower than normal. If you are experiencing symptoms of hypoxemia, especially if you have an underlying lung or condition, call your healthcare provider or go to the nearest ER.
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