Breath-holding spells are episodes of brief, involuntary cessations of breathing that occur in children in response to stimuli such as fear or injury. They are usually benign, and although very rarely, breath-holding spells accompany deteriorative neurological diseases. Here, we present two patients having infantile neuroaxonal dystrophy and breath-holding spells. Presence of the common respira...

This article reviews the basic properties of breath-holding in humans and the possible causes of the breath at breakpoint. The simplest objective measure of breath-holding is its duration, but even this is highly variable. Breath-holding is a voluntary act, but normal subjects appear unable to breath-hold to unconsciousness. A powerful involuntary mechanism normally overrides voluntary breath-h...

Introduction: Cigarette smokers who attempt to quit may or may not relapse. Previous research has shown that breath-holding ability predicts successful quitting, and it has been suggested that breath-holding ability may be a marker of tolerance for uncomfortable physiological symptoms. Methods: We measured breath-holding ability and smoking in a large general-population birth cohort from age 21...

1. Immediately after breath-holding at end-expiratory level, there is a certain period of no particular respiratory sensation which is terminated by the onset of an unpleasant sensation and followed by progressive discomfort during breath-holding. This period, defined as the time from the start of voluntary breath-holding to the point where the onset of an unpleasant sensation occurs, is design...

The aim of the study was to determine the feasibility of using a breath-holding test in assessing the sensitivity of the peripheral chemoreflex compared with the single-breath carbon dioxide test. The study involved 48 healthy volunteers between the ages of 18-29 years. The breath-holding test was performed followed by the single-breath carbon dioxide test on the next day. A month after the fir...