Research findings in chronic hyperventilation

This article was written by Ph. D. B. Snitslaar, neurologist, in the 80’s associated with the Phobias project of the Department of Personality Studies of the sub faculty of Psychology at the University of Amsterdam. Later he was employed by the Common Medical Service, Research and Development department, Research section. Although many medical terms are used in this article, it can still provide good background information. Even if you are not a medical doctor and are interested in more accurate information about chronic hyperventilation syndrome, the medical articles on this site may be of interest to you.

Laboratory and other technical research findings in patients with chronic hyperventilation showed the following results:

• The plasma bicarbonate level is in patients with chronic hyperventilation almost always below the lowest normal value. Lewis described this phenomenon as early as 1916 in response to his research into sufferers of the then-called ‘effort syndrome’. Now it is assumed that this is identical to the phenomenon of chronic hyperventilation. The pCO₂ is usually in the range of low to subnormal values.
• The urine is often neutral or alkaline.
• Electromyography (EMG) usually reveals the duplets, triplets and multiplets typical of latent tetany (= chronic hyperventilation) through research aimed at this.
• Electroencephalography (EEG) often shows us an excess of slow activity. Often about the temporal areas. Particularly under the influence of hyperventilation provocation we often see paroxysms of sometimes highly consecutive slow waves. All in all, such research leads to the statement that migraine, or / and epileptic factors must be taken into account. Here too, the term “brain stem disorders” regularly occurs.
• Electrocardiography (ECG) often shows depression of the S-T segment and flattening. Also inversion of the T-tops. This often leads to admission to a cardiology department of a hospital. Especially when this is observed in combination with patient’s heart anxiety. And the acute symptoms in the context of an exacerbation of hyperventilation.
• Capnographic research shows many of the chronic hyperventilating patients a noticeable irregularity in the breathing pattern and characteristic sighing. After hyperventilation provcation, the amount of CO₂ in the respiratory air of chronic hyperventilating patients will return to the output level more slowly than with healthy ones.

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