Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 10, 2026

Investigation into Deep Breathing through Measurement of Ventilatory Parameters and Observation of Breathing Patterns
Published on: September 16, 2019
Hyperventilation in panic disorder and asthma: empirical evidence and clinical strategies
1Department of Psychology, Southern Methodist University, Dallas, TX 75206, USA. ameuret@smu.edu
Abstract:
Sustained or spontaneous hyperventilation has been associated with a variety of physical symptoms and has been linked to a number of organic illnesses and mental disorders. Theories of panic disorder hold that hyperventilation either produces feared symptoms of hypocapnia or protects against feared suffocation symptoms of hypercapnia. Although the evidence for both theories is inconclusive, findings from observational, experimental, and therapeutic studies suggest an important role of low carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in this disorder. Similarly, hypocapnia and associated hyperpnia are linked to bronchoconstriction, symptom exacerbation, and lower quality of life in patients with asthma. Raising CO2 levels by means of therapeutic capnometry has proven beneficial effects in both disorders, and the reversing of hyperventilation has emerged as a potent mediator for reductions in panic symptom severity and treatment success.
Related Concept Videos
Hyperpnea and Hyperventilation
Alterations in Respiration II
In Biot's breathing, the respiratory rate and depth are irregular, alternating between periods of deep gasping and apnea. Common causes include...
Panic Disorder
Asthma III: Clinical Manifestations
Acute Respiratory Failure-III
Asthma-I: Introduction
