The key difference between hypoxia and hypoxemia is that hypoxia is a condition in which oxygen is not available in sufficient amounts at the tissue level, while hypoxemia is a condition in which the oxygen level in the blood is lower than normal.
Oxygen helps organisms grow, reproduce, and turn food into energy for survival. Typically, humans acquire oxygen by inhaling it from the surrounding atmosphere into their lungs. Low oxygen levels in the body lead to various medical conditions in humans. People with certain health conditions cannot get enough oxygen to maintain their daily activities and homeostasis. Hypoxia and hypoxemia are two medical conditions due to low oxygen levels in the body.
CONTENTS
1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Hypoxia
3. What is Hypoxemia
4. Similarities – Hypoxia and Hypoxemia
5. Hypoxia vs. Hypoxemia in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Hypoxia vs. Hypoxemia
What is Hypoxia?
Hypoxia is a medical condition in which there isn’t a sufficient supply of oxygen reaching the body tissues to maintain homeostasis. Hypoxemia can trigger hypoxia. The specific symptoms of this condition may include restlessness, anxiety, headaches, increased blood pressure, apnea, tachycardia, hypotension, irregular ventricular contractions, bluish skin (cyanosis), and coma. Hypoxia can be caused by anemia, asthma, bronchitis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, congenital heart defects, congestive heart failure, emphysema, pneumonia, pneumothorax, pulmonary edema, pulmonary embolism, pulmonary hypertension, pulmonary fibrosis, and sleep apnea.
Hypoxia can be diagnosed by physical examinations, pulse oximetry, arterial blood gas tests (ABG), pulmonary function tests (PFT), imaging tests such as X-rays, CT scans, and V/Q scans, six-minute walk tests (6MWT), echocardiograms, and electroencephalograms. Furthermore, treatment options for hypoxia may include inhaling steroids, giving medications like diuretics that help to reduce excess fluid to the lungs, continuous positive airway pressure mask (CPAP), BiLevel positive airway pressure (BiPAP®), supplemental oxygen, and mechanical ventilation.
What is Hypoxemia?
Hypoxemia is a medical condition that is due to low levels of oxygen in the blood. A person with this condition is considered to be hypoxemic. The specific symptoms of hypoxemia may include headache, difficulties in breathing or shortness of breath, coughing, wheezing, confusion and a bluish colour in the skin, fingernails, and lips (cyanosis). It can be caused by sleep apnea, being at high altitudes, other medical conditions such as acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), anemia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, bronchitis, emphysema, pneumonia, congenital heart defects, congestive heart failure, pneumothorax, pulmonary edema, pulmonary fibrosis, and pulmonary hypertension.
Hypoxemia can be diagnosed through medical history, physical examination, pulse oximetry, arterial blood gas test, six-minute walk test (6MWT), and lung function test. Furthermore, treatment options for hypoxemia may include inhalers with bronchodilators or steroids, medications like diuretics to get rid of excess fluid in the lungs, continuous positive airway pressure mask (CPAP), supplemental oxygen, and lifestyle changes (quit smoking, stay away from secondhand smoke, and get regular exercise).
What are the Similarities Between Hypoxia and Hypoxemia?
- Hypoxia and hypoxemia are two medical conditions due to low levels of oxygen in the body.
- Hypoxemia can lead to hypoxia.
- Both conditions may have similar symptoms, such as changes in skin colour, confusion, cough, fast heart rate, rapid breathing, shortness of breath, slow heart rate, sweating, and wheezing.
- Both these conditions can be diagnosed through physical examination, pulse oximetry, arterial blood gas test, and six-minute walk test (6MWT).
- They can be treated through steroids, medications like diuretics to get rid of excess fluid in the lungs, continuous positive airway pressure mask (CPAP), and supplemental oxygen.
What is the Difference Between Hypoxia and Hypoxemia?
Hypoxia is a condition in which oxygen is not available in sufficient amounts at the tissue level, while hypoxemia is a condition in which the oxygen level in the blood is lower than normal. This is the key difference between hypoxia and hypoxemia. Furthermore, risk factors for hypoxia include asthma, pre-existing lung diseases, altitude changes, smoking, high cholesterol, heart disease and family history of heart disease. On the other hand, risk factors for hypoxemia include asthma, pre-existing lung diseases, altitude changes, smoking, unhealthy diet, inactivity, high cholesterol, and heart disease.
The following table summarizes the difference between hypoxia and hypoxemia.
Summary – Hypoxia vs. Hypoxemia
Oxygen is very important for the survival of both humans and other animals. Hypoxia and hypoxemia are two medical conditions due to low levels of oxygen in the body. Hypoxia is a condition in which there is not enough oxygen getting to the body tissues to maintain homeostasis. Hypoxemia is a condition that is due to the low level of oxygen in the blood to meet the body’s needs. This summarizes the difference between hypoxia and hypoxemia.
Reference:
1. “Hypoxia.” StatPearls – NCBI Bookshelf – National Center For Biotechnology Information.
2. “Hypoxemia: Causes, Symptoms, Diagnosis & Treatment.” Cleveland Clinic.
Image Courtesy:
1. “Illustrations – Hypoxia” By Mayo Clinic (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) via Flickr
2. “Man with mask coughing and covering his mouth with hands, on white background with copy space” By Jernej Furman (CC BY 2.0) via Flickr