Table of contents:
- Anoxia is a condition when the body is depleted of oxygen
- What's the danger?
- Signs and symptoms when the body is experiencing anoxia
- What causes anoxia?
- Anemic anoxia
- Toxic anoxia
- Stagnant anoxia
- Anoxic anoxia
- What can be done?
Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing may be the first thing that comes to your mind when you imagine your body can't get oxygen. We do need oxygen to breathe. However, the role of oxygen in the body is not only that. Anoxia is an emergency condition that occurs when the body is not getting oxygen at all. Anoxia can be fatal in just a short time.
Anoxia is a condition when the body is depleted of oxygen
Anoxia is an extreme condition that occurs when the body has completely lost its oxygen stores. Anoxia usually does not happen suddenly, but rather develops from a hypoxic condition that is left untreated. Hypoxia itself is a condition in the body's tissues that are deprived of oxygen.
Every cell, tissue, and organ in the body needs oxygen to function properly. When the body is completely depleted of oxygen reserves, the organs can suffer injury known as hypoxic-anoxic damage.
What's the danger?
Anoxia is a condition that is very dangerous for the brain. The brain will suffer heavy damage due to the cells that die from not getting oxygen. Serious brain damage can be deadly if left untreated. It only takes about 4 minutes from zero oxygen to cause permanent brain damage, maybe even complete malfunction.
It's not just the brain that can be damaged by anoxia. Various organs whose functions rely on the work of the brain, such as the heart and kidneys, can also fail when the owner of the body experiences anoxia.
Signs and symptoms when the body is experiencing anoxia
Anoxia does not occur immediately, because it is generally preceded by hypoxia and mild anoxic symptoms. Mild anoxia can appear for some time after the body is completely deprived of oxygen, with symptoms such as:
- Very fast changes in mood and personality
- Difficulty making decisions and reading disorders of the situation, assessing something. or draw conclusions
- Memory loss
- Disorientation (confusion, daze)
- Unable to remember words and difficulty speaking
- Feel dizzy with body feeling weak
- Experiencing unusual headaches
- Difficulty concentrating
At first glance, the early symptoms of mild anoxia may not be obvious, and may even resemble regular fatigue or dehydration. However, it is precisely at this time that it is very important to get medical help as soon as possible.
After the body runs out of oxygen, symptoms of anoxia begin to appear, which are marked by convulsions, hallucinations, until the body collapses and loses consciousness.
What causes anoxia?
How hypoxia develops into anoxia will depend on the type of anoxia you are experiencing. Anoxia can be caused by internal factors in the body, for example related to the health of the heart and blood vessels, or from external factors such as low oxygen levels in the air or inhalation of toxins.
What are the common types of anoxia?
Anemic anoxia
The cause of anemic anoxia is a lack of hemoglobin in the blood vessels to circulate oxygen throughout the body. Anoxic anemia associated with iron deficiency anemia or blood disorder thalassemia.
Toxic anoxia
Toxic anoxia occurs when the inhaled toxins enter the body causing a disturbance in blood flow, resulting in a serious lack of oxygen in the body. This type of anoxia is generally caused by carbon monoxide poisoning from vehicle fuel residue or inhalation of fire fumes.
Stagnant anoxia
This type of anoxia is associated with cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks, strokes, arrhythmias, and heart failure. Anoxia caused by the heart not pumping blood properly can cause the brain and other organs to become severely deprived of oxygen.
Anoxic anoxia
Anoxic anoxia is a type of anoxia that occurs due to low oxygen levels, so the air you breathe doesn't contain enough oxygen that your body needs.
Anoxic anoxia is one of the most common health problems experienced by mountain climbers. The higher you climb, the less oxygen is in the air. However, the body needs more oxygen during strenuous physical activity. This imbalance between the amount of supply and demand can cause the body to eventually become deprived of oxygen.
This type of anoxia can also occur when a person is suffocating, drowning, has an asthma attack, and other respiratory problems.
What can be done?
How to deal with anoxia will be adjusted to the cause and how long the body has been deprived of oxygen.
If it causes a loss of consciousness, the body will be restored through cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and the installation of a ventilator breathing device. Seizure symptoms due to anoxyia should also be treated as soon as possible to facilitate the recovery process.
After experiencing anoxyia the body may also experience decreased function. For that we need several therapies that can speed up the recovery of brain cells, such as:
- Speech therapy by moving the mouth to make it easier to communicate and swallow food
- Physical therapy, which focuses on walking therapy and the ability to control the body
- Occupational therapy to adjust to the conditions of everyday life
- Counseling therapy to help adjust to change
- Recreational therapy, which includes listening to music, making art, playing games and exercising to restore fitness.
Regardless of the effects of anoxia, the goal of therapy is to improve the quality of life after experiencing it. Therefore, routine therapy is important to improve a person's activity patterns after recovering from anoxia.
