Anxiety/Panic Attacks and Lung Hyperinflation?

[kxnnie]

Hi everyone!

I’m a female, 21. Over the past year I have been living with PMBCL (non-hodgkins lymphoma), for which I am now in remission. This, of course, has caused a lot of anxiety and occasional panic attacks! I went to the ER last week during a panic attack, and they performed a chest XRay in which my lungs appeared hyperinflated, but otherwise clear. I have undergone multiple XRs, CTs, and PETs the past year and I have never had any mention of this prior! Reading that radiology report is (naturally) causing me even more anxiety! I have no other underlying conditions and my lung function/O2 levels/breathing is fine. All I find online when I google is COPD, but I am sure I dont have this. Can hyperventilation contribute to acute lung hyperinflation? TIA everyone

[2greys]

Can hyperventilation contribute to acute lung hyperinflation?

Perhaps it can, but you really need to have a doctor to diagnose this properly, nobody is a doctor here. I have however found a Q & A article that may offer a clue, other than COPD.

Good luck. Anxiety must be very hard to deal with after your experience with having to deal with lymphoma.

doctorslounge.com/chest/for...

[Badbessie]

2greys gives good advice. If there are no chronic underlying conditions then hyperventilation can cause hyperinflation of the lungs. Basically without going into anatomy and physiology of the lungs the breathing pattern does not allow the lung to fully deflate. Once a normal pattern is established then this will correct itself. If you were to have an x-ray today your lungs would probably appear normal. The clue is in the word acute. Anxiety is a horrible condition which I have suffered from and to some small extent still do. As 2greys states nobody here is a doctor and it may help you to talk through why you got this physical reaction to hyperventilating. If other causes have been ruled out it would help you understand that this is a just a normal physical response to your abnormal breathing pattern and should be nothing to worry about.