Respiratory failure can happen when your respiratory system is unable to remove enough carbon dioxide from the blood, causing it to build up in your body. It is a condition that results in the inability to effectively exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen, and induces chronically low oxygen levels or chronically high carbon dioxide levels. It usually happens when the airways that carry air to your lungs become narrow and damaged. This limits air movement through the body, which means that less oxygen gets in and less carbon dioxide gets out.
Symptoms
Respiratory failure can happen when your respiratory system is unable to remove enough carbon dioxide from the blood, causing it to build up in your body. It is a condition that results in the inability to effectively exchange carbon dioxide and oxygen, and induces chronically low oxygen levels or chronically high carbon dioxide levels. It usually happens when the airways that carry air to your lungs become narrow and damaged. This limits air movement through the body, which means that less oxygen gets in and less carbon dioxide gets out.
Symptoms
- difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, especially when active
- coughing up mucus
- wheezing
- bluish tint to the skin, lips, or fingernails
- rapid breathing
- fatigue
- daily headache
Causes
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- complicated pneumonia
- cystic fibrosis
- spinal cord injuries
- stroke
- muscular dystrophy
- ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
- injury to the chest
- drug or alcohol misuse
- smoking
- difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, especially when active
- coughing up mucus
- wheezing
- bluish tint to the skin, lips, or fingernails
- rapid breathing
- fatigue
- daily headache
Causes
- chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
- complicated pneumonia
- cystic fibrosis
- spinal cord injuries
- stroke
- muscular dystrophy
- ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease)
- injury to the chest
- drug or alcohol misuse
- smoking
