"Alkalosis" caused by excessive excitement, in which situations is it easy to "overbreathe"?

Expert interviewed: Guo Xiheng, chief physician of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, Beijing Chaoyang Hospital, Capital Medical University

Mayday concert tickets are hard to come by, Lu Han concerts drive tourism in a city, Jay Chou concert tickets are sold out in seconds... Since the beginning of this year, the offline concert market has recovered vigorously, making the fans excited. Recently, a news report that "a girl was too excited after watching a concert and suffered respiratory alkalosis" attracted attention, and many netizens said that they had also encountered similar situations.

According to reports, a woman in Chongqing was very excited after watching Lu Han's concert. After returning home, she repeatedly watched the live video and was always in an excited state. After that, she began to experience chest tightness, shortness of breath, cold and numb hands and feet, and was diagnosed with respiratory alkalosis after going to the emergency room.

Guo Xiheng, chief physician of the Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine at Beijing Chaoyang Hospital affiliated to Capital Medical University, told the reporter of the Global Times Health Client: "Respiratory alkalosis is caused by continuous hyperventilation (exchange of breath). I have encountered many cases in real life." Under normal circumstances, people inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide, and the body is in an acid-base balance state. But when the emotions are too excited, the breathing rate and amplitude will increase, and excessive carbon dioxide will be discharged, resulting in a decrease in the concentration of carbon dioxide in the body, breaking the acid-base balance, and then causing respiratory alkalosis, and a series of symptoms such as numbness around the mouth and face, stiff fingers, chest tightness, chest pain, dyspnea, cold and numb hands and feet, and even convulsions in the limbs, which may be accompanied by fear.

Guo Xiheng said that in addition to being overly excited, respiratory alkalosis may also occur when one is overly sad, fearful, angry, irritable, anxious, crying, or tired. Young women who are emotionally unstable and easily excited should pay special attention. The elderly have a lower chance of developing respiratory alkalosis because of decreased lung function and reduced ability to expel carbon dioxide. In addition, hypoxia (such as in plateau areas), pain, and improper use of ventilators may also lead to hyperventilation and cause respiratory alkalosis.

It can be seen that respiratory alkalosis is mostly caused by too much emotional change, so the prevention method is to keep calm. When you are emotionally excited, remind yourself to close your mouth and breathe through your nose, don't breathe in big mouthfuls. Although respiratory alkalosis sounds scary, it is not difficult to treat, just reduce hyperventilation. The method is very simple, close your mouth, breathe through your nose or hold your breath for a while, and the related symptoms will be relieved quickly. If the patient is particularly nervous and uncooperative, you can put a large paper bag over his head and cover his mouth and nose, or let him wear an N95 mask, so that some of the exhaled carbon dioxide can be re-inhaled into the body to improve the symptoms of respiratory alkalosis.

Guo Xiheng particularly emphasized that if the patient's symptoms are not relieved after following the above methods, or if they still feel uncomfortable after relief, they should seek medical attention in time to rule out the possibility of other diseases.

(Global Times Health Client reporter Wang Shuying)