In medicine, hypoventilation (also known as "respiratory depression") occurs when ventilation is inadequate (hypo means "below") to perform needed gas exchange. It generally causes an increased concentration of carbon dioxide (hypercapnia) and respiratory acidosis. It can be caused by medical conditions, by holding one's breath, or by drugs. Hypoventilation may be dangerous for those with sleep apnea. medicines, see medication and pharmacology. ... Gas exchange or respiration takes place at a respiratory surface - a boundary between the external environment and the interior of the body. ... Carbon dioxide is a chemical compound composed of one carbon and two oxygen atoms. ... Hypercapnia (from the Greek hyper = above and kapnos = smoke) is a condition where there is too much carbon dioxide (CO2) in the body. ... Respiratory acidosis is acidosis (abnormal acidity of the blood) due to decreased ventilation of the pulmonary alveoli, leading to elevated arterial carbon dioxide concentration. ... Oral medication A medication is a licenced drug taken to cure or reduce symptoms of an illness or medical condition. ... Sleep apnea or sleep apnoea is a sleep disorder characterized by pauses in breathing during sleep. ...

As a side effect of medicines or recreational drugs, hypoventilation may become potentially life-threatening. Many different CNS depressant drugs such as alcohol, benzodiazepines, barbiturates, GHB and opiates produce respiratory depression when taken in large or excessive doses; however this is most commonly seen as a cause of death with opiates or opioids. Strong opiates or opioids such as heroin and fentanyl are notorious for producing this effect; in an overdose, an individual may cease breathing (go into respiratory arrest). A new drug BIMU8 is currently being investigated which acts as a respiratory stimulant and may be useful for counteracting the respiratory depression produced by opiates and similar drugs without offsetting their therapeutic or recreational effects. An adverse drug reaction (abbreviated ADR) is a term to describe the unwanted, negative consequences sometimes associated with the use of medications. ... Recreational drug use is the use of psychoactive drugs for recreational rather than medical or spiritual purposes, although the distinction is not always clear. ... See also sedative. ... Bottles of cachaça, a Brazilian alcoholic beverage. ... Benzodiazepine tablets The benzodiazepines are a class of drugs with hypnotic, anxiolytic, anticonvulsant, amnestic and muscle relaxant properties. ... Barbiturates are drugs that acts as central nervous system (CNS) depressants, and by virtue of this they produce a wide spectrum of effects, from mild sedation to anesthesia. ... Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (4-hydroxybutanoic acid, C4H8O3) is both a drug and a naturally occurring compound found in the mammalian brain, where it might function as a neurotransmitter. ... An opioid is any agent that binds to opioid receptors found principally in the central nervous system and gastrointestinal tract. ... Heroin ((INN) Diacetylmorphine , (BAN) diamorphine) is a semi-synthetic opioid. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... A drug overdose occurs when a chemical substance (i. ... Respiratory arrest is the cessation of the normal tidal flow of the lungs due to paralysis of the diaphragm, collapse of the lung or any number of respiratory failures. ... BIMU-8[1] is a novel compound which acts on an area of the brain stem known as the pre-Botzinger complex. ...

A disorder referred to as "Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome" or "CCHS" is recognized. This condition may be a significant factor in some cases of sudden infant death syndrome or "cot death". Ondines Curse, Congenital Central Hypoventilation Syndrome or primary alveolar hypoventilation, is a respiratory disorder that is fatal if untreated. ...

The opposite condition is hyperventilation (too much ventilation), resulting in low carbon dioxide levels (hypocapnia), rather than hypercapnia. In medicine, hyperventilation (or hyperpnea) is the state of breathing faster or deeper (hyper) than necessary, and thereby reducing the carbon dioxide concentration of the blood below normal. ... Hypocapnia, also sometimes known as acapnia, is a state in which the level of carbon dioxide in the blood is lower than normal. ...

See also

• Dyspnea