Teaching children to do summer homework, mother had seizure, quadriplegia due to anger

A woman surnamed Xu in Nanxiang Town, Jiading District, Shanghai (China) was recently hospitalized with symptoms of convulsions, hands twitching like chicken claws, chest pain, difficulty breathing... after teaching her child to do summer homework. This case made many people feel sorry when they felt the pressure that parents have to bear in their children's studies, and at the same time warned about the importance of controlling emotions and controlling stress in daily life.

According to local media, while helping her child with summer homework, Ms. Tu was so angry that she experienced chest pain, difficulty breathing, paralysis of all four limbs, muscle stiffness, and cramped fingers. She was taken to Nanxiang Hospital for emergency treatment.

The doctor diagnosed Ms. Tu with hyperventilation syndrome, caused by breathing too quickly when angry, causing the body to release too much carbon dioxide. This affected the nervous system, causing "chicken claw syndrome". After receiving oxygen therapy and psychological counseling, Ms. Tu gradually recovered.

Head of the Emergency Department of Nanxiang Hospital, Dr. Zhang Chao, said that when hyperventilation is detected, symptoms can be improved by breathing into a paper bag or even just wearing a mask. However, if symptoms are severe enough to cause electrophysiological disturbances in the heart, it can lead to arrhythmia, which is life-threatening.

According to information from the Chinese Ministry of Health, hyperventilation syndrome is mainly caused by physiological and psychological reactions caused by acute anxiety. Patients involuntarily accelerate their breathing, uncontrollably breathe quickly, leading to excessive carbon dioxide release, causing hypocarbia, which in turn leads to respiratory alkalosis.

To avoid risks, when you are too angry, you need to try to relax yourself and breathe slowly; in addition, in daily life, you should maintain a normal, healthy lifestyle, avoid consuming too many stimulants or caffeinated drinks. If the person with hyperventilation cannot control their emotions, cannot slow down their breathing, or even loses consciousness, the victim should be taken to the hospital immediately.

Doctors note that acute dangerous diseases such as myocardial infarction, aortic dissection, pneumothorax, and pulmonary embolism can also cause hyperventilation symptoms.