<Tr> <Td_colspan="2"> (edit on Wikidata) </Td> </Tr> <P> Hypercapnia, also known as hypercarbia and CO retention, is a condition of abnormally elevated carbon dioxide (CO) levels in the blood . Carbon dioxide is a gaseous product of the body's metabolism and is normally expelled through the lungs . </P> <P> Hypercapnia normally triggers a reflex which increases breathing and access to oxygen (O), such as arousal and turning the head during sleep . A failure of this reflex can be fatal, for example as a contributory factor in sudden infant death syndrome . </P> <P> Hypercapnia is the opposite of hypocapnia, the state of having abnormally reduced levels of carbon dioxide in the blood . The word is from the Greek hyper = "above" or "too much" and kapnos = "smoke". </P>

Effect of increased carbon dioxide in the blood