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Cyanosis is a blue coloration of the skin
Skin

The skin is the outer covering of the body, also known as the epidermis. It is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial biological tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organ s....
 and mucous membrane
Mucous membrane

The mucous membranes are linings of mostly germ layer origin, covered in epithelium, which are involved in absorption and secretion. They line various body cavities that are exposed to the external environment and internal organ ....
s due to the presence of > 5g/dl deoxygenated hemoglobin
Hemoglobin

Hemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of vertebrates, and the tissues of some invertebrates....
 in blood vessel
Blood vessel

The blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the artery, which carry the blood away from the heart, the capillary, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and the tissues; and the veins, which carry blood from...
s near the skin surface.

Although human blood is always a shade of red (except in rare cases of hemoglobin-related disease), the optical properties of skin distort the dark red color of deoxygenated blood to make it appear bluish.

The elementary principle behind cyanosis is that deoxygenated hemoglobin is more prone to the optical bluish discoloration, and also produces vasoconstriction that makes it more evident.






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Cyanosis is a blue coloration of the skin
Skin

The skin is the outer covering of the body, also known as the epidermis. It is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of epithelial biological tissue, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and organ s....
 and mucous membrane
Mucous membrane

The mucous membranes are linings of mostly germ layer origin, covered in epithelium, which are involved in absorption and secretion. They line various body cavities that are exposed to the external environment and internal organ ....
s due to the presence of > 5g/dl deoxygenated hemoglobin
Hemoglobin

Hemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of vertebrates, and the tissues of some invertebrates....
 in blood vessel
Blood vessel

The blood vessels are the part of the circulatory system that transport blood throughout the body. There are three major types of blood vessels: the artery, which carry the blood away from the heart, the capillary, which enable the actual exchange of water and chemicals between the blood and the tissues; and the veins, which carry blood from...
s near the skin surface.

Although human blood is always a shade of red (except in rare cases of hemoglobin-related disease), the optical properties of skin distort the dark red color of deoxygenated blood to make it appear bluish.

The elementary principle behind cyanosis is that deoxygenated hemoglobin is more prone to the optical bluish discoloration, and also produces vasoconstriction that makes it more evident. The scattering of color that produces the blue hue of veins and cyanosis is similar to the process that makes the sky appear blue
Diffuse sky radiation

Diffuse sky radiation is solar radiation reaching the Earth's surface after having been scattering from the direct solar beam by molecules or suspensoids in the Earth's atmosphere....
: some colors are refracted and absorbed more than others. During cyanosis, tissues are uncharacteristically low on oxygen, and therefore tissues that would normally be filled with bright oxygenated blood are instead filled with darker, deoxygenated blood. Darker blood is much more prone to the blue-shifting optical effects, and thus oxygen deficiency - hypoxia
Hypoxia (medical)

Hypoxia is a Pathology condition in which the body as a whole or a region of the body is deprived of adequate oxygen supply. Variations in arterial oxygen concentrations can be part of the normal physiology, for example, during strenuous physical exercise....
 - leads to blue discoloration of the lips and other mucous membranes.

The name is derived from the color cyan
Cyan

Cyan may be used as the name of any of a number of a range of colors in the blue/green part of the spectrum. In reference to the visible spectrum cyan is used to refer to the color obtained by mixing equal amounts of green and blue light or the removal of red from white light....
, which comes from kyanous, the Greek word for blue.

Types

Cyanosis can occur in the finger
Finger

A finger is a type of digit , an organ of manipulation and sensation found in the hands of humans and other primates.Normally humans have five digits, termed phalanges, on each hand ....
s, including underneath the fingernails
Nail (anatomy)

A nail is a horn -like structure at the end of an animal's finger or toe. See also claw....
, as well as other extremities (called peripheral cyanosis), or in the lip
Lip

Lips are a visible body part at the mouth of humans and many animals. Lips are soft, movable, and serve as the opening for food intake, as an erogenous organ used in kissing and other acts of intimacy, as a tactile sensory organ, and in the articulation of speech....
s and tongue (central cyanosis).

Central cyanosis

Central cyanosis is often due to a circulatory or ventilatory problem that leads to poor blood oxygenation
Oxygenation

Oxygenation refers to either the amount of oxygen in a medium or to the process of adding oxygen to a medium to increase its oxygen content....
 in the lungs or greater oxygen extraction due to slowing down of blood circulation in the skin's blood vessels.

Acute cyanosis can be a result of asphyxiation or choking, and is one of the surest signs that respiration is being blocked.

Common causes
  • Abnormal hemoglobin
    Hemoglobin

    Hemoglobin is the iron-containing oxygen-transport metalloprotein in the red blood cells of vertebrates, and the tissues of some invertebrates....
     levels
  • Bronchospasm
    Bronchospasm

    Bronchospasm or "Bronchial Spasm" is a sudden constriction of the muscles in the walls of the bronchioles. It is caused by the release of substances from mast cells or basophils under the influence of anaphylatoxins....
  • Congenital heart disease
  • Heart failure
  • Heart valve
    Heart valve

    In anatomy, the heart valves maintain the unidirectional flow of blood in the heart by opening and closing depending on the difference in pressure on each side....
     disease
  • High altitude
    Altitude

    Altitude has multiple uses depending on the context in which it is used . As a general definition, altitude is a distance measurement, usually in the vertical or "up" direction, between a reference datum and a point or object....
  • Hypothermia
    Hypothermia

    Hypothermia is a condition in which an organism's temperature drops below that required for normal metabolism and bodily functions. In warm-blooded animals, core body temperature is maintained near a constant level through biologic homeostasis....
  • Hypoventilation
    Hypoventilation

    In medicine, hypoventilation occurs when Ventilation is inadequate to perform needed gas exchange. By definition it causes an increased concentration of carbon dioxide and respiratory acidosis....
  • Lung disease
  • Myocardial infarction
    Myocardial infarction

    Myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when the Blood flow to part of the heart is interrupted. This is most commonly due to occlusion of a coronary artery following the rupture of a Vulnerable plaque, which is an unstable collection of lipids and white blood cells in the wall of an artery....
  • Polycythaemia
  • Pulmonary embolism
    Pulmonary embolism

    Pulmonary embolism is a blockage of the pulmonary artery or one of its branches, usually occurring when a deep vein thrombosis becomes dislodged from its site of formation and travels, or embolism, to the pulmonary artery blood supply of one of the lungs....
  • COPD (emphysema and chronic bronchitis)
  • Asthma
    Asthma

    Asthma is a common chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, in which the Lung constrict, become inflammation, and are lined with excessive amounts of thickened mucus, often in response to one or more triggers....
  • Methemoglobinemia
    Methemoglobinemia

    Methemoglobinemia is a disorder characterized by the presence of a higher than normal level of methemoglobin in the blood. Methemoglobin is a form of hemoglobin that does not bind oxygen....
  • Tetralogy of Fallot
    Tetralogy of Fallot

    Tetralogy of Fallot is a congenital heart defect which is classically understood to involve four anatomical abnormalities . It is the most common Cyanosis heart defect, representing 55-70%, and the most common cause of blue baby syndrome....
  • Right to left shunts in heart or great vessels


Peripheral cyanosis


Peripheral cyanosis is the blue tint in fingers or extremities, due to inadequate circulation. The blood reaching the extremities is not oxygen rich and when viewed through the skin a combination of factors can lead to the appearance of a blue color
Blood

Blood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's Cell s ? such as nutrients and oxygen ? and transports waste products away from those same cells....
. All factors contributing to central cyanosis can also cause peripheral symptoms to appear, however peripheral cyanosis can be observed without there being heart or lung failures. Small blood vessels may be restricted and can be treated by increasing the normal oxygenation level of the blood.

Common causes
  • All common causes of central cyanosis
  • Arterial obstruction
  • Cold exposure (due to vasoconstriction
    Vasoconstriction

    Vasoconstriction is the narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels, particularly the large arteries, arterioles and veins....
    )
  • Raynaud's phenomenon
    Raynaud's phenomenon

    Raynaud's phenomenon , in medicine, is a vasospasm disorder causing discoloration of the fingers, toes, and occasionally other extremities. This condition can also cause nails to become brittle with longitudinal ridges....
     (vasoconstriction)
  • Reduced cardiac output (e.g. heart failure, hypovolaemia)
  • Vasoconstriction
    Vasoconstriction

    Vasoconstriction is the narrowing of the blood vessels resulting from contraction of the muscular wall of the vessels, particularly the large arteries, arterioles and veins....
  • Venous obstruction (e.g. deep vein thrombosis
    Deep vein thrombosis

    In medicine, deep vein thrombosis is the formation of a blood clot in a deep vein. It is a form of thrombophlebitis .Deep vein thrombosis commonly affects the leg veins or the deep veins of the pelvis....
    )


See also

  • Blue baby syndrome
    Blue baby syndrome

    Blue baby syndrome is a layman's term used to describe newborns with cyanosis conditions, such as*Cyanotic heart defects**Tetralogy of Fallot...
  • Raynaud's phenomenon
    Raynaud's phenomenon

    Raynaud's phenomenon , in medicine, is a vasospasm disorder causing discoloration of the fingers, toes, and occasionally other extremities. This condition can also cause nails to become brittle with longitudinal ridges....
  • Blue Fugates


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