Hyperventilation

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Medical Author:

Ira H Tilles, MD

Coauthor:

Kimberly A Sing, MD

Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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• Hyperventilation Overview
• Hyperventilation Causes
• Hyperventilation Symptoms
• When to Seek Medical Care
• Hyperventilation Diagnosis
• Hyperventilation Treatment
• Hyperventilation Self-Care at Home
• Hyperventilation Medical Treatment
• Hyperventilation Prognosis
• Synonyms and Keywords
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• Viewer Comments: Hyperventilation - Causes

Hyperventilation is breathing in excess of what the body needs. This is sometimes called overbreathing. Rapid or deep breathing is sometimes seen in very serious conditions such as infection, bleeding, or heart attack.

Hyperventilation syndrome is more specific and relates to an overbreathing pattern that happens under certain conditions. This overbreathing results in a group of symptoms.

Although hyperventilation syndrome may seem very similar to panic attacks, the two disorders are different.

• People with panic disorder often have emotional complaints (for example, fear of death or closed-in spaces) that accompany attacks.
• If a person has hyperventilation syndrome, however, he or she will have certain symptoms without these emotional complaints (although the person still may be anxious).

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