Hyperventilation: Its relation to symptom experience and to anxiety

18 likely hyperventilators and 16 unlikely hyperventilators, balanced with regard to sex, were selected from an undergraduate population (N = 385) using a screening questionnaire of hyperventilation-related symptoms experienced in life. Likely hyperventilators reported a higher mean intensity of hyperventilation-related symptoms than unlikely hyperventilators after overbreathing room air but not after overbreathing carbon dioxide enriched air. Mixed results were obtained in comparing the 2 groups in their reports of dummy symptoms. The likely hyperventilators' normal breathing also showed higher volume per minute and rate than that of the unlikely hyperventilators. Results support a relationship between chronic hyperventilation and symptom experience in a nonclinical population. (41 ref) (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2006 APA, all rights reserved).