What is hypoxia why is it dangerous

This is usually due to an insufficient amount of oxygen in the blood. Nearly all body cells need oxygen to perform their biological functions.

Without oxygen, a person may lose consciousness, and critical systems may begin to shut down. This can place the person at an extremely high risk of further injury, depending on what they are doing at the time. Several different causes, factors, illnesses, and injuries can cause hypoxia. These may include:. In particular, strangulation or smothering is a common cause of hypoxia. For instance, many of the chokeholds practiced in mixed martial arts or jiu-jitsu can create conditions of hypoxia.

These may be highly dangerous if practiced in an uncontrolled or unregulated manner. Such chokeholds are also often employed by law enforcement; many police brutality cases involve hypoxia-related injuries.

Note that relatively healthy persons can suffer from hypoxia, such as when a person travels to higher altitudes during hiking. Hypoxic brain injuries can also occur in activities like deep-sea diving or scuba diving. One of the main dangers associated with hypoxia is that the person will typically lose consciousness. Advertising revenue supports our not-for-profit mission.

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Multiple tests can analyze metabolism. Most need blood drawn, but some can be ordered online and done at home. Here are 2. Health Conditions Discover Plan Connect. Breast Cancer. What Is Hypoxemia? Medically reviewed by J. Hypoxia vs. When to see a doctor. The bottom line. Read this next. Medically reviewed by Judith Marcin, M. Oxygen Therapy. The brain depends on the blood to provide it with a constant supply of oxygen. Thus disruptions to any part of the body that plays a role in blood or oxygen supply can lead to hypoxia.

The four primary causes of hypoxia are:. Deep sea divers, people who practice certain forms of meditation, and a handful of other exceptions to the rule may be able to go longer periods than average without oxygen. For the average person, oxygen deprivation poses an imminent threat.

The timeline from initial hypoxia to death or brain damage varies with the degree of oxygen deprivation. Minor oxygen deprivation only causes damage over time, but true hypoxia triggers near-instantaneous damage. Brain damage can begin within a minute or two of total oxygen deprivation. At the five-minute mark, death of brain cells -- and the severe brain damage that accompanies it -- becomes inevitable.

Most people will die within 10 minutes of total oxygen deprivation. Those in poor health often die much sooner. Some people may suffer other medical catastrophes, such as a heart attack, in response to oxygen deprivation. Less severe oxygen deprivation can cause symptoms that are subtler and more gradual.