What is the difference between hypoxia and anoxia

Younger people tend to recover faster than those over the age of Good improvement and progress during the first month of treatment may suggest a more favorable outcome, but it can be over a year before it is possible to determine how a person will recover. Being aware of the symptoms of hypoxia and anoxia and seeking immediate medical care is crucial. A quick medical response can help reduce complications and determine the speed and success of recovery.

While some people make a complete recovery, there are many treatment options for those who need support after a brain injury to help them rehabilitate, including physical, mental, and occupational therapy. Altitude sickness is a condition that occurs at higher altitudes, where there is less oxygen in the air.

Learn more about the symptoms, causes, and…. Barbecues, gas cookers and heaters can give off carbon monoxide CO.

With no smell or taste, it deprives a person's blood of oxygen, and it can kill…. Fainting is a sudden, temporary loss of consciousness. It results from a lack of oxygen reaching the brain.

Depending on the underlying cause, it may…. When a person's blood pressure is low enough to cause symptoms, it can have serious health consequences, including shock and kidney failure. Nicotine is the substance in tobacco that makes it highly addictive to people who smoke. Other symptoms may become noticeable after your brain has been without oxygen for more than four to five minutes. If you or someone around you is experiencing any of the above symptoms, seek immediate emergency medical attention.

Each type of anoxia has a different internal or external cause. For example, internal causes include your heart or blood vessels not getting oxygen to your brain. External causes include less available oxygen or inhaling environmental toxins.

Hemoglobin, a type of protein in your blood that contains iron, is used to deliver oxygen to your organs and tissues. This lack of oxygen can cause anemic anoxia. Toxic anoxia occurs when you take in toxins or other chemicals. This prevents your blood from effectively carrying oxygen throughout your body. Carbon monoxide poisoning is one of the most common causes of toxic anoxia.

Carbon monoxide is a produced when gas is used as fuel. A faulty gas stove, fireplace, or furnace can cause carbon monoxide to fill your home. It is also found in vehicle fumes.

Stagnant anoxia is also known as hypoxicischemic injury. This can happen even when your blood is carrying plenty of oxygen and hemoglobin. Many of its symptoms are usually part of a condition called altitude sickness. These conditions include:. Blood tests, imaging tests, and tests of your nervous system can all provide clues as to both the cause and results of hypoxia and anoxia.

Treatment depends on how long your brain or other parts of your body have been deprived of oxygen. This may include cardiopulmonary resuscitation CPR or putting you on a ventilator to get enough oxygen. Chronic anemia is an ailment in which a person suffers from persistently low levels of red blood cells or hemoglobin. Carbon monoxide poisoning , which appears to damage parts of the brain controlling movement, occurs in suicide attempts using automobile exhaust, but can also happen due to malfunctioning furnaces and other accidents involving machinery and industrial equipment.

HAI is generally marked by an initial loss of consciousness or coma, a condition which looks like sleep but from which a person cannot be awakened. The period of unconsciousness, whether short or long, might be followed by a persistent vegetative state , in which a person is neither comatose nor responsive to external stimuli. Even when a person has fully recovered consciousness, he or she might suffer from a long list of symptoms. In many ways, these symptoms are similar to those commonly seen after a blow to the head.

The effects can vary widely depending upon the part of the brain that has been injured and the extent of the damage. Some of the major cognitive thought problems are:. Other symptoms can include: hallucinations and delusions; increased agitation and confusion; depression and other mood disorders; personality changes, such as irritability and a reduced threshold for frustration; and an inability to focus or concentrate.

Because people with HAI have often suffered extensive damage, complete recovery is not assured. In fact, predicting the outcome of HAI is a bit like estimating how high a rocket will go. There are some general factors that are helpful in making initial forecasts, but the actual course of the rocket is also dependent upon real-world conditions and many unforeseeable variables.

Studies that have been done suggest that recovery may be more limited than in cases where a person has suffered a traumatic brain injury of comparable severity. Nonetheless, there are some clues that can clearly offer a bit of guidance in judging the likelihood of at least a partial recovery. These include:. Many patients come out of a coma but remain in what is called a persistent vegetative state , a sort of wakeful unresponsiveness in which some brain functions continue to operate but with no apparent consciousness.

Some doctors believe that if the persistent vegetative state in a patient with HAI continues for more than three months, there is virtually no chance of further recovery.

Unfortunately, direct treatment of anoxia is limited. Recovery can take many months and even years, and in many cases the person never regains his or her prior level of functioning.

In general, the sooner rehabilitation starts, the better. During rehabilitation, the individual and family members may interact with a variety of professionals as the need for constant medical attention from a doctor decreases. Such professionals may include a physical therapist, who aids in improving motor skills such as walking; an occupational therapist, who assists in retraining the person to perform skills of daily living, such as dressing and going to the bathroom; a speech therapist, who may help address cognitive problems as well as language disorders; and a neuropsychologist, who may assess the level and type of cognitive impairment, collaborate on retraining, and assist both the individual and family members with behavior and emotional issues.

As recovery may take months and even years, it is important for both the patient and family members involved in rehabilitation efforts to establish a good working relationship with the various specialists. Patients and family caregivers, therefore, often experience intense bouts of frustration at what they perceive to be the slow pace of recovery.

While the process will never be easy, the following tips may help to minimize possible tension and conflict:. Family Caregiver Alliance FCA seeks to improve the quality of life for caregivers through education, services, research, and advocacy.

Through its National Center on Caregiving, FCA offers information on current social, public policy, and caregiving issues and provides assistance in the development of public and private programs for caregivers. Brain Injury Association of America www. Brain Trauma Foundation www. Head Injury Hotline www. National Rehabilitation Information Center www. Harm Hypoxia: The more complete the oxygen deprivation, the more severe the effect to the affected tissue. Anoxia: The effect is more severe than in hypoxia due to the full lack of oxygen.

Hypoxia Vs. Anoxia: Comparison Chart Summary of Hypoxia verses Anoxia Hypoxia is a medical term that describes the partial lack of oxygen in the body tissues. Anoxia is a medical term that describes the complete lack of oxygen in the body tissues.

The hypoxia can be hypoxic hypoxia, hematological hypoxia, circulatory hypoxia, and mixed hypoxia. The anoxia can be anoxic anoxia, anemic anoxia, toxic anoxia, and stagnant anoxia. The more complete the oxygen deprivation, the more severe the effect to the affected tissue.

The effect of anoxia is more severe than the effect of hypoxia, due to the complete lack of oxygen. Author Recent Posts. Mariam has more than 10 years of professional experience in scientific research and environmental consultancy. She has worked within non-profit, profit, and academic environment, and consulted business clients and competent authorities. Her main professional interests are in the area of: Scientific research; Web content writing; Environmental consultancy.

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