Causes of Respiratory Acidosis (Inadequate Alveolar Ventilation Resulting in a Raised Arterial PCO2)*
Brain- Stroke
- Mass lesion with brainstem compression
- Encephalitis
- Sedative drugs
- Status epilepticus
Spinal cord- Cord compression
- Transverse myelitis
- Poliomyelitis
- Motor neuron disease
- Rabies
Peripheral nerve- Guillain-Barré syndrome
- Critical illness polyneuropathy
- Toxins
- Acute intermittent porphyria
- Vasculitis
- Diphtheria
Neuromuscular junction- Myasthenia gravis
- Eaton-Lambert syndrome
- Botulism
- Toxins
Muscle- Myotonic dystrophy
- Muscular dystrophy
- Hypokalaemia
- Hypophosphatemia
- Rhabdomyolysis
Thoracic cage and pleura- Crushed chest
- Morbid obesity
- Kyphoscoliosis
- Ankylosing spondylitis
- Large pleural effusion
Lungs and airways |
* Ventilatory failure commonly results from a combination of factors, for example pneumonia in an obese patient with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; see Chapter 11.