The number of respirations in the elderly is 30~40 times suggesting that the respiratory rate is fast, which may be related to physiological reasons such as strenuous exercise and pathological reasons such as anemia and heart failure.
1. Physiological reasons. Normal people breathe 12-20 times per minute, so the old man’s respiratory rate of 30-40 times is high, may be related to the body’s oxygen demand increases after strenuous exercise; emotional excitement can also cause respiratory acceleration.
2. Pathological causes. Anemia may cause chest tightness, shortness of breath and accelerated respiration, as well as fatigue and pallor; heart failure may cause pulmonary stasis or pulmonary edema leading to abnormal carbon dioxide exchange and accelerated respiration.
When an elderly person suffers from prolonged accelerated breathing that cannot be relieved, he or she should seek prompt medical attention to identify the cause under the guidance of a doctor and seek active treatment.