<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?> <!DOCTYPE article PUBLIC "-//NLM//DTD JATS (Z39.96) Journal Publishing DTD v1.2d1 20170631//EN" "JATS-journalpublishing1.dtd"> <ArticleSet> <Article> <Journal> <PublisherName>jmedicalcasereports</PublisherName> <JournalTitle>Frontiers in Medical Case Reports</JournalTitle> <PISSN>I</PISSN> <EISSN>S</EISSN> <Volume-Issue>Volume 2; Issue 4</Volume-Issue> <PartNumber/> <IssueTopic>Multidisciplinary</IssueTopic> <IssueLanguage>English</IssueLanguage> <Season>(Jul-Aug, 2021)</Season> <SpecialIssue>N</SpecialIssue> <SupplementaryIssue>N</SupplementaryIssue> <IssueOA>Y</IssueOA> <PubDate> <Year>-0001</Year> <Month>11</Month> <Day>30</Day> </PubDate> <ArticleType>Medical Case Reports</ArticleType> <ArticleTitle>Paradoxical Hypocapnia While Wearing a Facemask: A Novel Cause of Orthostatic Intolerance - A Case Report</ArticleTitle> <SubTitle/> <ArticleLanguage>English</ArticleLanguage> <ArticleOA>Y</ArticleOA> <FirstPage>1</FirstPage> <LastPage>5</LastPage> <AuthorList> <Author> <FirstName>C. (Linda) M.C. van</FirstName> <LastName>Campen</LastName> <AuthorLanguage>English</AuthorLanguage> <Affiliation/> <CorrespondingAuthor>N</CorrespondingAuthor> <ORCID/> <FirstName>Peter C.</FirstName> <LastName>Rowe</LastName> <AuthorLanguage>English</AuthorLanguage> <Affiliation/> <CorrespondingAuthor>Y</CorrespondingAuthor> <ORCID/> <FirstName>Frans C.</FirstName> <LastName>Visser</LastName> <AuthorLanguage>English</AuthorLanguage> <Affiliation/> <CorrespondingAuthor>Y</CorrespondingAuthor> <ORCID/> </Author> </AuthorList> <DOI/> <Abstract>Previous studies with facemasks have shown significant respiratory effects, including increased breathing resistance, CO2 rebreathing due to CO2 accumulation in the facemask cavity leading to hypercapnia, and decreased inhaled O2 concentration. These changes may lead to a number of symptoms like dyspnea, headache, sweating, and dizziness. In the present case report a patient is described with similar symptoms while wearing a facemask, but with the opposite effect: a hyperventilatory hypocapnic response, leading to orthostatic intolerance symptoms. A 34 year old female patient was examined with symptoms while wearing a facemask in public. She was studied in the supine position. First, end-tidal CO2 and cerebral flow measurements, using extracranial Doppler imaging, were obtained without facemask. Thereafter, after 10 minutes of wearing a facemask, measurements were repeated. While wearing the facemask, the end-tidal CO2 decreased from 35 mmHg without the facemask to 28 mmHg with the facemask, respiration rate increased from 10 to 15 breath/min and cerebral blood flow decreased from 565 ml/min to 419 ml/min, a 26% reduction while wearing the facemask. These changes were accompanied by her typical orthostatic intolerance symptoms while wearing the facemask in public As shown in this patient, wearing a facemask cannot only cause hypercapnia, as has been previously described, but may also cause hypocapnia, leading to a cerebral blood flow reduction and orthostatic intolerance symptoms.</Abstract> <AbstractLanguage>English</AbstractLanguage> <Keywords>Facemask,Extracranial Doppler Imaging,Cerebral Blood Flow,End-Tidal CO2, Hypocapnia</Keywords> <URLs> <Abstract>https://jmedicalcasereports.org/ubijournal-v1copy/journals/abstract.php?article_id=13100&title=Paradoxical Hypocapnia While Wearing a Facemask: A Novel Cause of Orthostatic Intolerance - A Case Report</Abstract> </URLs> <References> <ReferencesarticleTitle>References</ReferencesarticleTitle> <ReferencesfirstPage>16</ReferencesfirstPage> <ReferenceslastPage>19</ReferenceslastPage> <References>Hoiland RL, Fisher JA, Ainslie PN. Regulation of the cerebral circulation by arterial carbon dioxide. Compr Physiol 2011; 9: 1101-1154. Johnson AT. Respirator masks protect health but impact performance: a review. J Biol Eng 2016; 10: 1-2. Perna G, Cuniberti F, Daccand;ograve; S, Nobile M, Caldirola D. Impact of respiratory protective devices on respiration: Implications for panic vulnerability during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Affect Disord 2020; 277: 772-778. Stewart JM, Pianosi P, Shaban MA, Terilli C, Svistunova M, Visintainer P, Medow MS. Postural hyperventilation as a cause of postural tachycardia syndrome: increased systemic vascular resistance and decreased cardiac output when upright in all postural tachycardia syndrome variants. J Am Heart Assoc 2018; 7: e008854. van Campen CL, Verheugt FW, Rowe PC, Visser FC. Cerebral blood flow is reduced in ME/CFS during head-up tilt testing even in the absence of hypotension or tachycardia: a quantitative, controlled study using Doppler echography. Clin Neurophysiol Pract 2020; 5: 50-58.</References> </References> </Journal> </Article> </ArticleSet>