Hypoxia

Hypoxia is a condition where body tissues don't receive an adequate oxygen supply. It may be categorized into four distinct types.

Anemic hypoxia occurs due to a deficiency of RBCs or when RBCs contain abnormal or too little hemoglobin, resulting in poor oxygen delivery.

Ischemic hypoxia results from impaired or blocked blood circulation to the tissue, preventing efficient oxygen delivery.

In histotoxic hypoxia, cells cannot efficiently utilize the delivered oxygen due to toxins, such as cyanide.

Lastly, hypoxemic hypoxia is characterized by low partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood, with possible causes including pulmonary diseases and breathing air with low oxygen content.

A special case of hypoxemic hypoxia is carbon monoxide or CO poisoning.

When inhaled, CO binds to hemoglobin with greater affinity than oxygen, displacing oxygen from its binding sites and reducing the partial pressure of oxygen in the arterial blood.

Hypoxia can be detected through a bluish discoloration on the skin and mucosae, especially visible in the nailbeds.