What Is Cyanosis?

This problem may seem harmless, but if it is neglected it can lead to serious health problems.

If you have ever wondered what cyanosis is, we would first have to explain the curious way in which it presents itself. Well, the name of this cyan condition refers to the slightly bluish color that can appear on the body.

When a person suffers from cyanosis, the fingers, nails or mucous membranes can stand out for this blue color. Sometimes we can think that we have hit ourselves and it is a bruise. However, cyanosis is much more.

What is cyanosis and what causes it?

To answer the question of what is cyanosis we have to focus on the hemoglobin that is present in red blood cells and that is responsible for transporting oxygen to different parts of the body.

Hemoglobin picks up oxygen from the lungs, carries it to the cells of the body, and returns to the lungs for more oxygen. When the hemoglobin level is abnormal, there is a lack of it.

The lack of oxygen that is transported through the blood to all parts of the body can have dire consequences where the heart and lungs can be compromised.

The causes of this oxygen deficit can be due to a blood clot, exposure to cold, cardiorespiratory arrest, excess abnormal hemoglobin, bronchitis, pulmonary embolism, pneumonia or barotrauma, among many other reasons.

As we have seen, cyanosis can be due to both cardiovascular and respiratory problems. Your result? It will always be the same. A bluish hue will appear, difficult to detect if the skin is or is very brown.

Cyanosis and blue blood

If we have wondered what cyanosis is, perhaps that myth that kings or people of good lineage had blue blood comes to mind.

Blood always has a red color. In some cases this color may be more or less reddish, but in no case is it blue. This is something that only happens when you have cyanosis.

The reason is not that the blood changes its color, but that when the hemoglobin is so low, what we know as hypoxia occurs. Let’s think about when we entered the water from the beach. It’s cold and we spend a lot of time inside.

After a few minutes we will begin to feel cold and if we do not come out our lips will turn blue. Bingo! The cold has caused this.

Problems that cyanosis can cause

Now that we know how to answer the question of what is cyanosis, it is time for us to discover some problems or consequences that suffering from this problem can have.

Although sometimes it seems that it is a completely harmless situation, it must be taken into account that the reduction of hemoglobin in the blood is a very serious matter. The body needs to receive the adequate dose of oxygen, otherwise some difficulties could appear, such as the ones described below:

• Stroke : due to insufficient oxygen reaching the brain.

• Heart failure : the heart does not receive the oxygen it deserves and stops pumping the amount of blood that the body needs.

• High blood pressure : In more complex cases, the blood pressure rises above its limit and this could increase the risk of suffering a cardiovascular problem.

• Loss of a limb : if one of the limbs, a finger for example, shows a blue color for a long time, this can cause the limb to be amputated due to gangrene.

Cyanosis should be treated with caution and in the event of any blue coloration in any part of the body, the smartest thing to do is go to the doctor. Waiting or giving this condition time to resolve itself could have fatal consequences.

Now that you know what cyanosis is, have you ever suffered from it or has someone close to you suffered from it?