The Health Risks of Hypoxemia

The amount of air we acquire in the body is very vital. It helps us breathe normally and avoids any chest pain. However, there are instances that our body, specifically the arteries, doesn’t receive ample level of oxygen due to some reasons, like poor lifestyle. This hampers normal breathing and circulation and triggers breathing problem. When the arteries are in a below-normal oxygen level, it induces hypoxemia.

Hypoxemia isn’t a very well-known term and can only be learned once your body is diagnosed of not having enough oxygen in the blood. Your personal doctor in San Jose CA dental center will have to measure the oxygen level of blood should you experience frequent shortness of breath and chest pain. The blood sample is taken from your arterial blood gas or artery and will be brought to the lab. Hypoxemia also can be diagnosed thru a pulse oximeter. This is a small device that is clipped to your finger in order to measure or estimate the oxygen saturation of the blood.

According to research, the normal oxygen level of the blood is approximately 75-100 mm Hg or millimeters of mercury. Measurements under 75 means your blood doesn’t have ample level of oxygen. Contrary, pulse oximeter indicates 95-100 percent result for normal arterial oxygen. Values below 95 are deemed unhealthy and low.

Now if you are diagnosed with this condition, you are recommended to consider the following factors in order to sustain the supply of oxygen in the body. First is to find a place where you can breathe or acquire enough air. This is considered as an environmental factor. Second is to ensure your lungs inhale ample air filled with oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. Third is making sure that the bloodstream gets proper circulation to your lungs. This helps you take enough oxygen and pass it all throughout the body.

However, these factors don’t work on certain individuals particularly those with asthma and heart disease. No wonder they are prone to hypoxemia.

When the blood oxygen drops, you need to seek emergency care; most especially if the breathing problem comes with severe headache and affects your capability to function. Another worse case of hypoxemia is experiencing shortness of breath with serious cough, increased heartbeat and water retention. Suffering from fluid retention is very critical as it means fluid leaking from blood vessels to the lungs.

Similar with other health conditions, hypoxemia and shortness of breath can be prevented. Exercise healthy lifestyle and quit excessive smoking. Cigarette smoking blocks healthy air from lungs and lowers blood oxygen level. This bad oral habit is one of the common reasons of getting hypoxemia and lung cancer. Furthermore, regular exercise improves your health, too. Although this can be a challenge as it causes trouble breathing, still, this can promote overall strength.

Doctors highly recommend that you visit them once in a while even though you have no health issues. They can help you improve health and prevent any types of health problems.