Final answer:
Alveolar hypoventilation can result from various conditions, including pneumonia, congestive heart failure, and the depressive effects of certain drugs on respiration. Diseases affecting lung compliance or airway resistance, such as fibrosis, asthma, or emphysema, can also cause hypoventilation. Lastly, immune-mediated inflammation within the lungs can disrupt gas exchange, further contributing to hypoventilation.
Step-by-step explanation:
The pathological changes that can result in alveolar hypoventilation are varied and can profoundly affect respiratory functions. Conditions such as pneumonia and congestive heart failure can impair the lungs' ability to ventilate properly, leading to an inadequate exchange of gases and an accumulation of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the blood, known as hypercapnia. Drugs like morphine, barbiturates, or ethanol can also depress the respiratory system, causing reduced breathing. On the other hand, hyperventilation can lead to hypocapnia, which is characterized by abnormally low blood CO2 levels.
Lung diseases such as fibrosis, which decrease lung compliance, and diseases like asthma or emphysema, which increase airway resistance, can lead to breathing difficulties and trapped air in the lungs. These changes can cause a V/Q mismatch, affecting both ventilation and arterial perfusion of the lungs. Furthermore, immune responses, as seen in hypersensitivity reactions, can also lead to alveolitis and disrupt normal gas exchange by causing inflammation and damage within the lungs.
Respiratory acidosis and respiratory alkalosis are two conditions that reflect the extremes of alveolar ventilation issues, with the former being due to insufficient ventilation (leading to excess CO2) and the latter being due to excessive ventilation (leading to CO2 deficiency).