Adequate breathing rate for an adult, provided that it is at rest, ranges from 8 to 16 breaths per minute. It is normal for a baby to exercise up to 44 breaths per minute.
Causes
Frequent shallow breathing occurs due to the following reasons:
- pneumonia or other infectious damage to the lungs;
- asthma;
- bronchiolitis;
- hypoxia;
- heart failure;
- transitional tachypnea in newborns;
- shocks;
- poisoning of diverse nature;
- diabetes mellitus;
- brain pathologies (primary: head injury, thromboembolism, cerebrovascular spasm; secondary: circulatory disorders, tuberculous meningitis).
Symptoms of Respiratory Disorders
- Change in respiratory rate: either an excessive increase in respiratory movements (in this case, superficial breathing is observed when exhalations and inspirations are very short), or its excessive decrease (respiratory movements are very deep).
- Changes in the respiratory rhythm: the intervals between exhalations and inspirations can be different, in some cases, respiratory movements stop for seconds or minutes, and then resume.
- Lack of consciousness. This symptom is not directly related to respiratory disorders, however, in the case of a very serious condition of the patient, respiratory disorders occur in an unconscious state.
Forms of respiratory distress that are manifested by shallow breathing
- Cheyne-Stokes breathing.
- Hyperventilation is neurogenic.
- Tachypnea.
- Biota breathing.
Central hyperventilation
Represents deep breathing (superficial) and frequent (BH reaches 25-60 movements per minute). Often accompanies damage to the midbrain (located between the hemispheres of the brain and its trunk).
Chain stokes breath
A pathological form of breathing, characterized by deepening and increasing respiratory movements, and then their transition to more shallow and rarer and at the end the appearance of a pause, after which the cycle repeats again.
Such changes in breathing occur due to an excess of carbon dioxide in the blood, due to which the work of the respiratory center is disrupted. In young children, such a change in respiration is observed quite often and passes with age.
In adult patients, Cheyne-Stokes shallow breathing develops as a result of:
- asthmatic status;
- circulatory disorders in the brain (hemorrhage, vascular spasms, strokes);
- dropsy (hydrocephalus);
- intoxications of various genesis (drug overdose, poisoning with drugs, alcohol, nicotine, chemicals);
- TBI;
- diabetic coma;
- cerebral arteriosclerosis;
- heart failure;
- uremic coma (with kidney failure).
Tachypnea
Refers to one of the types of shortness of breath. The breathing in this case is superficial, but its rhythm is not changed. Due to the superficiality of respiratory movements, insufficient ventilation of the lungs develops, sometimes dragging on for several days. Most often, such shallow breathing occurs in healthy patients with severe physical exertion or nervous strain. It disappears without a trace when eliminating the above factors and is converted to a normal rhythm. Occasionally develops against the background of some pathologies.
Biota breathing
Synonym: atactic respiration. This disorder is characterized by disordered respiratory movements. In this case, deep breaths pass into shallow breathing, alternating with a complete absence of respiratory movements. Atactic respiration accompanies damage to the back of the brain stem.
Diagnostics
If the patient has any changes in the frequency / depth of breathing, it will be necessary to immediately consult a doctor, especially if such changes are combined with:
- hyperthermia (high temperature);
- pulling or other chest pain when inhaling / exhaling;
- difficulty breathing;
- first occurring tachypnea;
- a grayish or bluish tint of the skin, lips, nails, periorbital region, gums.
To diagnose pathologies that are the cause of shallow breathing, the doctor conducts a number of studies:
1. Collection of medical history and complaints:
- prescription and features of the appearance of the symptom (for example, weak shallow breathing);
- preceding the appearance of violations of any significant event: poisoning, injury;
- the rate of manifestation of respiratory failure in case of loss of consciousness.
2. Inspection:
- determination of the depth and frequency of the produced respiratory movements;
- determination of the level of consciousness;
- determination of the presence / absence of signs of brain damage (decreased muscle tone, strabismus, the appearance of pathological reflexes, the state of the pupils and their reaction to light: pointy (narrow) pupils that respond poorly to light - a sign of damage to the brain stem; wide pupils that do not respond to light is a sign of damage to the midbrain;
- examination of the abdominal region, neck, head, heart and lungs.
3. A blood test (general and biochemistry), in particular, determination of creatinine and urea levels, as well as oxygen saturation.
4. Acid-base composition of blood (presence / absence of acidification of blood).
5. Toxicology: the presence / absence of toxic substances (drugs, drugs, heavy metals).
6. MRI, CT.
7. Consultation of a neurosurgeon.
8. Chest x-ray.
9. Pulse oximetry.
10. ECG.
11. Scanning of the lungs for changes in ventilation and organ perfusion.
Treatment
The primary goal of superficial breathing therapy is to eliminate the root cause that caused this condition to appear:
- Detoxification (antidotes, infusions), vitamins C, B, hemodialysis with uremia (renal failure), and in case of meningitis - antibiotics / antiviral agents.
- Elimination of cerebral edema (diuretics, corticosteroids).
- Means for improving brain nutrition (metabolism, neurotrophics).
- Transfer to mechanical ventilation (if necessary).
Complications
Superficial breathing alone does not cause any serious complications, but it can lead to hypoxia (oxygen starvation) due to changes in the respiratory rhythm. That is, superficial respiratory movements are unproductive, since they do not provide the proper supply of oxygen to the body.
Shallow breathing in a child
The normal respiratory rate is different for children of different ages. So, newborns take up to 50 breaths per minute, children up to one year old - 25-40, up to 3 years old - 25 (up to 30), 4-6 years old - up to 25 breaths under normal conditions.
If a child 1-3 years old performs more than 35 respiratory movements, and 4-6 years old - more than 30 per minute, then such breathing can be regarded as superficial and frequent. In this case, an insufficient amount of air penetrates into the lungs and its main mass is retained in the bronchi and trachea, which are not involved in gas exchange. For normal ventilation, such respiratory movements are clearly not enough.
As a consequence of this condition, children often suffer from SARS and ARI. In addition, superficial frequent breathing leads to the development of asthma of bronchial or asthmatic bronchitis. Therefore, parents should definitely consult a doctor to find out the cause of the change in the frequency / depth of breathing in the baby.
In addition to diseases, such changes in breathing can be the result of physical inactivity, overweight, stooping habits, increased gas formation, poor posture, lack of walking, hardening and sports.
In addition, superficial frequent breathing in children can develop due to prematurity (lack of surfactant), hyperthermia (high temperature) or stressful situations.
Rapid shallow breathing most often develops in children with the following pathologies:
- bronchial asthma;
- pneumonia;
- allergies
- pleurisy;
- rhinitis;
- laryngitis;
- tuberculosis
- chronic bronchitis;
- pathologies of the heart.
Therapy of superficial respiration, as in adult patients, is aimed at eliminating the causes that caused it. In any case, the baby must be shown to the doctor to make the correct diagnosis and prescribe adequate treatment.
You may need to consult the following specialists:
- pediatrician;
- pulmonologist;
- a psychiatrist;
- allergist;
- pediatric cardiologist.