Causes of High Blood Carbon Dioxide Level
Carbon dioxide is the gas that is expelled from the lungs as a natural result of respiration. It is formed in the body as a natural result of burning fuel in the body, namely glucose and fatty acids. This is a complex reaction which involves many more chemicals and the use of these fuels is actually just an enabler to this reaction. Fundamentally, in each cell of the body, it is the mitochondria that are the generators of the cells that use glucose and fatty acids to facilitate a reaction between adenosine triphosphate or ATP to adenosine diphosphate or ADP.
Carbon dioxide poisoning is a condition that, in rare circumstances, can even lead to the death of an individual.
The condition is called hypercapnia and is usually a temporary phenomenon that is corrected immediately. This is a condition that regularly happens to sufferers of sleep apnea because of the inability to breathe normally during sleep. This condition is usually corrected involuntarily by simply changing one’s position when sleeping. The condition is quite prevalent in other cases and is a major occupational hazard for divers and people working in areas of high carbon dioxide concentration like miners and geologists.
Divers are probably the most affected group from this poisoning. There are many reasons for poisoning when deep-sea diving and the fault mainly lies in the physics of being at a depth so low, the equipment that one dives in, and even some of the odd measures that divers take to conserve oxygen and stay underwater longer. When underwater, the first problem lies in the density of carbon dioxide at greater depths. As we go deeper into water, gas is compressed further increasing its density.
This can cause greater concentrations of the gas in the blood. In most cases, divers that use scuba gear are equipped with a mechanism that removes carbon dioxide from the exhaled gases. This is usually soda lime and if, for some reason, this is not functioning efficiently at removing it, one ends up breathing the same gases that were exhaled. Deep sea divers also use a technique that is detrimental called the skip breathing method. This involves longer periods between each inhalation. By using this technique of oxygen conservation, one actually ends up increasing the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood. Increased levels will cause an increase in heart rate, hyperventilation, confusion, and other symptoms.
Kevin Pederson is the chief contributor of content for Medical Health Tests, an authoritative source for information on medical tests. The articles are not only informative and insightful, but they are also simple and intelligible. This makes them a reliable resource for anyone seeking information on medical tests.
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