Question

define dyspnea

Answer 1

DYSPNEA

Dyspnea is the medical term for shortness of breath, sometimes described as “air hunger.” It is an uncomfortable feeling. Shortness of breath can range from mild and temporary to serious and long-lasting. It is sometimes difficult to diagnose and treat dyspnea because there can be many different causes. It is a common problem.If shortness of breath starts suddenly, it is called an acute case of dyspnea.

SYMPTOMS:

When you have dyspnea, you might feel:

• Out of breath
• Tightness in your chest
• Hungry for air (you might hear this called air hunger)
• Unable to breathe deeply
• Like you can’t breathe (suffocation)

It can be acute (sudden dyspnea) or chronic (long-lasting dyspnea). Acute dyspnea starts within a few minutes or hours. It can happen with other symptoms like a fever, rash, or cough. Chronic dyspnea can make you feel out of breath with everyday tasks, such as walking from room to room or standing up.

Sometimes, shortness of breath gets better or worse with certain body positions. For example, lying down flat can trigger shortness of breath in people who have certain types of heart and lung disease. Keeping track of your symptoms can help your doctor figure out what's wrong and recommend the best treatment.

CAUSES:

An episode of dyspnea is not always directly related to an individual’s health. A person can feel short of breath after intense exercise, when traveling to a high altitude, or going through major temperature changes.

Acute dyspnea could be due to:

• asthma
• anxiety
• pneumonia
• choking on or inhaling something that blocks breathing passageways
• allergic reactions
• anemia
• serious loss of blood, resulting in anemia
• exposure to dangerous levels of carbon monoxide
• heart failure
• hypotension, which is low blood pressure
• pulmonary embolism, which is a blood clot in an artery to the lung
• collapsed lung
• hiatal hernia

Dyspnea is also common among people with a terminal illness.

If a person experiences shortness of breath for over a month, the condition is called chronic dyspnea.

Chronic dyspnea could be due to:

• asthma
• COPD
• heart problems
• obesity
• interstitial pulmonary fibrosis, a disease that causes scarring of the lung tissue

Some additional lung conditions may also cause shortness of breath.

Examples are:

• croup
• traumatic lung injury
• lung cancer
• tuberculosis
• pleurisy, an inflammation in the tissues surrounding the lungs
• pulmonary edema, when too much fluid collects in the lungs
• pulmonary hypertension, when the blood pressure in the arteries to the lungs rises
• sarcoidosis, when clusters of inflammatory cells grow in the lungs

Shortness of breath has also been linked to the following heart problems:

• cardiomyopathy, a range of diseases affecting the heart muscle
• heart rhythm problems
• heart failure
• pericarditis, when the tissue that surrounds the heart becomes inflamed.

TREATMENT:

• Diet and exercise

• Pulmonary rehabilitation

• Cardiac rehabilitation

PREVENTION

Preventing dyspnea means avoiding or managing its many possible causes. The most obvious risk factor for shortness of breath is smoking. If you smoke, seek out a smoking cessation specialist or program in your community. There are many effective products and therapies now that can help you quit. It’s never too late. Your lung and heart health will start to improve within hours of having your last cigarette. Air pollution and airborne chemicals can also lead to breathing problems. So if you work in an environment with poor air quality, consider using a mask to filter out lung irritants, and make sure your workplace is well-ventilated. Maintaining a healthy weight can help you avoid a number of health problems. If you need help losing weight, talk with your doctor about using a nutritionist or dietitian in your area to help you plan meals and change your eating style.