Cheyne-Stokes respirations can be seen in patients with which condition?

• A. Increased intracranial pressure
• B. COPD
• C. Pneumonia
• D. Asthma

Answer: (A)

Cheyne-Stokes respirations are produced by instability in the brain’s respiratory center, causing a repeating cycle of increasing then decreasing breathing effort with occasional pauses (apneas). This pattern signals central nervous system dysfunction that disrupts the normal feedback between chemoreceptors and the medullary respiratory centers. Elevated intracranial pressure is a classic scenario where this instability occurs, reflecting neural control problems rather than a primary lung issue.

Since the underlying problem is central control of breathing, conditions that primarily affect the lungs—such as COPD, pneumonia, or asthma—tend to produce different patterns driven by airway resistance, infection, or bronchospasm rather than the cyclical, apnea-containing pattern seen with Cheyne-Stokes.