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Cyanosis and its significance in the diagnosis of diseases

Cyanosis is a bluish tint of the skin and mucous membranes. Skin color if this symptom can take many different scales, grey-blue, red-blue, blue-green, dark blue.

The term has no relation to the name of the disease. Used in the diagnosis, visual assessment of the severity of the patient, as a symptom accompanies many diseases.

If cyanosis is caused by enters the blood coloring or by deposition of various substances, the cyanosis called about. True cyanosis is associated with different types of oxygen deficiency (hypoxia).

Oxygen starvation occurs in tissues for different reasons. They cause cyanosis, therefore, should pay attention to the varieties of hypoxic conditions.

Types of cyanosis

Among the varieties of lividity of the skin, to distinguish between:

  • Central cyanosis (diffuse) — to be determined throughout the body is formed by General disorders of blood circulation and respiratory function of the lungs;
  • peripheral cyanosis is associated with impaired function of the artery, ischemia of tissues on the legs (atherosclerosis), the hands (Raynaud's disease), usually limbs cold to the touch, it can occur when loss of venous tone vessels of the face (nose, cheeks in chronic alcoholism and liver disease);
  • acrocyanosis is manifested only in the "extreme" points on the fingers, ears, lips, wings of nose, accompanying chronic heart failure is called venous stasis.
  • local forms are more often observed in the targeted inspection of the pharynx and nasopharynx, genitals (for example, cyanosis of the cervix is a sign of early pregnancy).

Example of local cyanosis can serve as a mild frostbite of the hands or feet. After warming the blood supply is restored and the cyanosis disappears. Blueing of the extremities, areas of the skin can be caused by mikrotromboza vessels or thrombophlebitis.

What external conditions cause cyanosis?

Cyanosis of the skin may be physiological in nature when reloading hypoxia in healthy humans. Heavy exercise, stress, elevated temperatures require more oxygen, tissues consume up to 90% of capacity instead of 25% under normal conditions. When developing muscle acidosis contributes to the rupture of the molecules of hemoglobin and oxygen.

For this reason, we see a light cyanosis of the lips of a tired man. After a rest, he disappears, as the body gradually restores the necessary balance.

Given the pathological conditions of development one can distinguish exogenous lack of oxygen and endogenous.

Exogenous hypoxia occurs when it enters a man in terms of low oxygen content in the inhaled air. Similarsituations arise when altitude sickness when inexperienced climbers or malotrenirovannyh tourists consider yourself ready to climb to the next peak.

When developing endogenous hypoxia?

Pathological processes in the body are accompanied by endogenous (internal) hypoxia. Oxygen deficiency in various diseases has its own preferential mechanisms of development.

Respiratory or lung — develops when the diseases of the lungs and bronchial tubes, preventing air penetration into the internal slices or in violation of gas exchange due to the reduction of working alveoli.

This situation occurs when:

  • mechanical obstruction of the airway (suffocation, hit films in diphtheria, the compression of the tumor);
  • chronic obstructive bronchitis;
  • bronchial asthma;
  • the pulmonary fibrosis and emphysema;
  • congenital deficiency of surfactant in the newborn baby;
  • lobar pneumonia and pulmonary infarction;
  • the pulmonary edema;
  • pneumothorax (entry of air into the pleural cavity, atelectasis);
  • the cleft arterial duct or oval holes and the mixing of arterial and venous blood at the level of the pulmonary circulation.

In the diagnosis it is important to establish the relationship of cyanosis with other signs:

  • on the background of pulmonary infarction caused by embolism of the pulmonary artery — cyanosis covers the upper part of the body, the person becomes very dark language;
  • toxic shock is accompanied by a small rash on the skin;
  • pulmonary edema is characterized by choking, forced sedentary position, bubbling breath and cough with frothy pink sputum;
  • chronic obstructive disease of the Airways characterized by shortness of breath, weight rale against the weakened respiratory auscultation;
  • when heart disease attention is drawn to the blue nails, auscultation reveals the characteristic noises.

The detection of cyanosis of nasolabial triangle at the kid it is necessary to consult with cardiorheumatologists, to conduct additional studies.

Read more about the importance of this type of cyanosis in the diagnosis of diseases of the child can be read in this article.

What is the treatment for cyanosis?

To reduce the cyanosis should be treated the underlying disease. The decrease in the intensity of color of the skin indicates the effectiveness of the applied therapy. A more objective indication of the elimination of oxygen starvation is the definition of reduced hemoglobin in the blood.

Used in poisoning antidotes, which are capable of normalizing cell respiration and hemoglobin.

When mechanical asphyxia to ensure the access of air may be requiredurgent introduction of a catheter through the epiglottis, the growth of tumors – tumor removal.