R Re el la at ti io on ns sh hi ip p b be et tw we ee en n b br re ea at th hl le es ss sn ne es ss s a an nd d h hy yp po ox xi ic c a an nd d h hy yp pe er rc ca ap p--SThe mean value of the breathlessness at two different levels of ventilation was greater during HVR than during HCVR, suggesting that hypoxia is dyspnogenic independently of ventilatory stimulation. The HCVR was inversely correlated with the breathlessness response to ventilation, while similar correlation was partly present for HVR. The HVR was positively correlated with the breathlessness at an Sa,O 2 of 80%, whilst there was no such correlation between the HCVR and the breathlessness related to PET,CO 2 . Therefore, patients with a higher breathlessness related to increased ventilation had a lower HCVR and HVR, whilst those with a higher breathlessness with desaturation, which might include a direct influence of hypoxia, had a higher HVR.These findings suggest an interaction between ventilatory response and breathlessness during the test, which may partly include behavioural modulation of HCVR and HVR through the breathlessness in various ways, depending on the origin and nature of the sensation. Eur Respir J., 1996Respir J., , 9, 2340Respir J., -2345

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