Dyspnea is shortness of breath that is often described as a feeling of being “hungry for air.”
Dyspnea is uncomfortable and it can even be painful.
If you experience recurrent, sudden, or severe shortness of breath, you should see a healthcare provider.
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You may need urgent medical intervention, and long-term management will depend on the cause of your dyspnea.
It can also be acute, occurring suddenly and causing you to feel frightened or overwhelmed.
Cases of each can range in severity.
There are times when you may notice that someone else is experiencing dyspnea.
Someone who is short of breath may appear to be choking or may have very loud breath sounds.
Complications
The effects of dyspnea-associated oxygen deprivation can cause confusion or loss of consciousness.
Serious issues, including brain damage and kidney failure, can occur due to low oxygen.
Types and Causes
Exercise is the most common and harmless cause of dyspnea in a healthy person.
When you exercise, your body needs more oxygen.
This makes you breathe faster, especially if the activity is more intense than you are used to.
This bang out of dyspnea is nothing to worry about and should improve after a few minutes of rest.
But dyspnea can also occur due to medical problems, including certain diseases and conditions.
Acute Dyspnea
Some illnesses cause sudden episodes of dyspnea with completely normal breathing between episodes.
As it worsens, you might feel short of breath with moderate activities like climbing stairs.
Chronic dyspnea can also flare up with exposure to cigarette smoke and environmental fumes.
This is described asnocturnal dyspnea.
Risk Factors
Some people are at high risk of dyspnea.
Pregnant people may experience dyspnea with mild exertion or even at rest.
Diagnosis
Dyspnea is diagnosed with an evaluation of your breathing pattern.
The immediate effectssuch as low oxygen levelsare assessed with diagnostic tests.
Your breathing rate, heart rate, and the intensity of your pulse will be checked.
Your healthcare provider will look to see if you are gasping for air or using accessory muscles to breathe.
Your oxygen level will be measured withpulse oximetryorarterial blood gas.
You may also need an urgent chest X-ray if there is a concern about pneumonia or another lung disease.
BMI is a dated, flawed measure.
It does not take into account factors such asbody composition, ethnicity, sex, race, and age.
After that, treating the underlying cause of your dyspnea becomes paramount.
For example, achest tubemay be placed to relieve pressure due to pneumothorax or a pulmonary effusion.
You may also need respiratory support as you are recovering from dyspnea of any cause.
Oxygen and Respiratory Assistance
In some cases, oxygen supplementation can be helpful while you are recovering.
In other cases, avoiding triggers may also be essential.
As such, a combination of prevention strategies may be necessary.
Whenever possible, avoid inhaling pollutants by wearing an appropriate mask if you work with environmental chemicals.
And if you smoke, quit.
The habit can cause COPD and heart disease, and smoking can trigger asthma attacks and COPD exacerbations.
You might not realize that stressaboutyour dyspnea can make it worse.
And these fears can amplify your shortness of breath, making an acute episode more severe.
If anxiety is playing a role in your dyspnea, discuss your feelings with your medical team.
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