Each person experienced shortness of breath, sometimes several times a day. In principle, this is a reaction quite characteristic of the body to a sharp or significant increase in physical activity. There are situations when the cause of shortness of breath can be excitement or severe stress. The phenomenon considered in this article is difficult to define as a full-fledged disease, it is rather a symptom. Its presence on an ongoing basis indicates impaired functioning of the body. Therefore, you should take this symptom seriously, because your health is at stake.
Terminology
Before talking about the causes of shortness of breath, it is necessary to understand the definition of this phenomenon. Shortness of breath is a subjective feeling of lack of air, expressed by an increase in the rhythm of breathing, a feeling of heaviness in the chest area, the inability to take a deep breath.
If a symptom occurs during exercise, do not worry. Here is an example of a standard run. At some point, it becomes difficult for you to breathe, the symptom manifests itself sharply and significantly, which leads to oxygen deficiency. In such a situation, it is enough to stop, take a breath and continue to run. Usually just a few sighs are enough. If you are in poor physical shape, you need to give your body more time to relax. In case of shortness of breath while walking, at rest, or with a very slight load, measures should be taken. The best thing you can do is contact a specialist.
Often there are situations when the patient does not make an appointment with the doctor, not considering this step necessary. Then all hope is for close relatives and friends who surround him. The symptom in question is easily visible from the side, and if there is cause for concern, literally force the patient to the doctor. Believe me, then he will thank you.
Classification
There are two of the most popular classifications, which we will talk about. The severity of shortness of breath is of the following types:
- the norm when a symptom bothers only with a fairly strong load;
- mild, this is just the case of shortness of breath when climbing or walking fast;
- the average degree, when the phenomenon under consideration prevents a person from moving at the same speed as his healthy peers, he must make a lot of efforts to keep up, he has to stop periodically and restore breathing;
- severe degree, even with slow walking the patient needs to stop and take a breath every hundred meters;
- a very severe degree, shortness of breath torments at rest, when performing ordinary household activities, because of this, the patient cannot leave the house, since it is difficult for him to walk.
If we consider shortness of breath from a physiological point of view, two main types can be distinguished: inspiratory and expiratory. The first case is characterized by difficulty in inhaling, this is a sign of blocking the respiratory tract in the area of the bronchi and trachea. An example is shortness of breath with asthma or pleurisy.
The expiratory type is distinguished by the difficulty of exhalation due to obstruction of the small bronchi. This type of shortness of breath directly indicates lung disease. Often, a mixed symptom is found in patients, characterized by difficulty both in inhaling and exhaling. Then we will talk about diseases of the respiratory tract, coupled with cardiovascular pathologies and diseases of other internal organs.
Causes of shortness of breath
There are plenty of reasons for the occurrence of the phenomenon. If you try to systematize them, you can come to the allocation of three large groups. We will talk more about each of them in this article. So, depending on the initial causes that led to respiratory failure, the following groups are distinguished:
- Heart disease. This is the most common cause of dyspnea in the elderly. The heart ceases to function normally over time, as a result of which the blood flow to the brain decreases, and breathing intensifies.
- Pathologies of the lungs and bronchi. If the patient has narrowed bronchi, then we can conclude that there is insufficient oxygen penetration into the blood. In this case, the respiratory system begins to work in an accelerated mode, which leads to shortness of breath.
- Anemia of various types. The problem here is that the blood stream cannot carry oxygen to the tissues. The situation arises due to a lack of red blood cells and hemoglobin.
In order for the doctor to fully present the picture of the disease, it is necessary to answer honestly all the questions posed. After the disease, which was indicated by shortness of breath, is diagnosed, the doctor will prescribe treatment.
Problems with heart
Heart failure is not a specific disease, but a malfunction of the heart as a whole. At the initial stage of the development of the disease, a feeling of lack of air appears only in the presence of physical exertion, however, as the condition worsens, the situation changes. Shortness of breath in heart failure occurs at rest and even in sleep. Other symptoms of heart related diseases include:
- swelling on the legs, manifested closer to the evening;
- pain in the heart, heart palpitations;
- jumps in blood pressure;
- general weakness of the body, malaise, fatigue;
- headache and dizziness, possibly fainting;
- bouts of dry cough.
These problems are handled by a cardiologist. To determine a specific disease, the doctor prescribes a general and biochemical blood test, ultrasound of the heart, radiography and other studies. It is worth noting that with such problems there is constant shortness of breath. To get rid of it, you need to cure the underlying disease.
Respiratory failure
This ailment presents the main block of the causes of shortness of breath. Indeed, for any diseases of the lungs and bronchi, a person will feel a lack of air. It can be acute, as, for example, with pleurisy, and also be chronic. In the second case, the airways partially overlap and create an obstruction. If a patient is diagnosed with obstructive pulmonary disease, difficulty in breathing is noticed. If you ignore the symptoms and lack of proper treatment, the patient's condition only worsens.
If problems with exhalation are found, asthma is usually diagnosed, which appears as a result of stress or the consumption of an allergen in food. Asthmatics need to always have an aerosol with them, as seizures can be very strong. In especially difficult situations, fatal outcomes were observed. If you do not have the right medicine with you during an attack, you should call emergency medical attention.
Dyspnea with bronchitis is a common occurrence. The inflammatory process creates a barrier, and oxygen enters in smaller quantities. The severity and severity of symptoms depends on the stage of the disease. With proper and effective treatment, all signs will be eliminated, and the patient will return to normal life. But if you ignore therapy, shortness of breath with bronchitis will be terrible due to the accession of other diseases, for example, heart failure.
Lack of oxygen is also observed in the presence of tumor processes. When the neoplasm reaches a significant size and interferes with the normal circulation of air, shortness of breath occurs in the patient. Other symptoms include severe coughing, bleeding, pallor, weakness, and weight loss.
There is a disease called pulmonary embolism. The bottom line is that due to clogged arteries with blood clots, insufficient blood supply is observed. It turns out that only part of the lungs is involved in the breathing process, which leads to shortness of breath. The disease appears as a result of neoplasms in the airways, cicatricial stenosis or an inflammatory process.
Toxic pulmonary edema resulting from the ingestion of chemicals or the presence of infectious diseases leads to shortness of breath. An important point: if at the right time there will be no detoxification, the patient will die.
Psychological illnesses
Most patients in neurotic departments complain of a lack of air. They are tormented by sudden shortness of breath when asthma attacks sharply come, which prevents them from breathing fully. Often, these problems have nothing to do with physiological ailments and are purely emotional in nature. That is, it is enough just to reassure the patient, and breathing in itself will return to normal.
No wonder they say that nerve cells are not restored. Emotional explosion, psychological trauma can have terrible consequences. Therefore, it is not surprising that stressful situations lead to a lack of air. Unstable psyche, anxiety and excitability, fears have a negative effect on the body. It is quite simple to distinguish neurotic shortness of breath - the patient often does not just breathe, but also groans, groans and sighs loudly.
Anemia
There can be many reasons for the decrease in the content of hemoglobin and red blood cells. For example, the presence of a congenital pathology or acquired severe infection. Regardless of the reasons, there is only one result - the blood flow loses hemoglobin, therefore less oxygen enters the brain. The body begins to defend itself with the help of the respiratory system, and the frequency and depth of inspiration increase.
Consider the signs of anemia:
- the patient feels a breakdown, gets tired quickly, shortness of breath appears during physical exertion, even the most insignificant;
- pallor of the skin, blood loses hemoglobin, which gives it a color;
- oxygen starvation of the brain, resulting in headaches, dizziness, lack of concentration, attention and memory impairment;
- if the disease has reached the last stages, the development of heart failure is possible, which will only aggravate the condition.
Endocrine character of dyspnea
People with diabetes and being overweight often complain of breathing problems. Some diseases of the endocrine system create an excess of thyroid hormones, as a result, the body needs more oxygen. As a protective function, more intense breathing is observed.
An illness such as obesity leads to shortness of breath at rest. Due to excess weight, the work of the respiratory muscles is suspended, the functioning of the heart contractions is disturbed, making it difficult to fully inhale. All this directly indicates oxygen starvation, the eternal companion of which is shortness of breath. Diabetes mellitus disease has a lot of negative consequences, including the appearance of pathologies of the cardiovascular system. It does not function properly, resulting in an oxygen deficiency.
Shortness of breath in a child
Children of different ages also have similar problems. There is such an indicator as the number of respiratory movements per unit time. If it exceeds the norm, then the child most likely has some kind of ailment. You can check this at home, but it is better to entrust the matter to a professional, meaning a doctor.
In the absence of a special device, you can approximately calculate the number of respiratory movements and draw a preliminary conclusion. It is recommended to try at a time when the baby is sleeping. Simply put your hand on your chest and count the number of respiratory cycles. Why exactly during sleep? The fact is that emotional arousal, depression and other factors significantly distort the result. It should be noted that the hand should be warm so as not to wake the baby and not scare him.
If you find shortness of breath in a child, you should immediately seek medical help. As for the reasons, there is a similar situation with adults. The reasons can be such diseases as asthma, anemia, congenital heart defects, allergic reactions, inflammatory processes, etc.
Diagnostics
Identify shortness of breath by analyzing the subjective sensations of the patient and objective methods of research. For this, all necessary medical measures are used. First you need to decide which specialist should contact. If you are not able to diagnose the cause of the ailment, it is better to make an appointment with a therapist. In the future, the doctor will conduct his research and refer you to other narrow specialists, such as a cardiologist, pulmonologist, oncologist, neurologist, etc.
As diagnostic measures, the calculation of the respiratory rate at rest and after exercise is often used. In addition, recently introduced special scales that evaluate shortness of breath in conditions of normal activity. To make a diagnosis, it is necessary to determine the cause of the symptom. In this case, it is difficult to overestimate the importance of history. The patient must tell the doctor about everything that he knows. This is done to determine the vector so that the specialist knows approximately where to look for the root of the problem. What to do with shortness of breath?
General therapy
As already noted, effective treatment can only be offered if the cause is correctly identified. To do this, you need to undergo a complete medical examination, because the symptom will be treated at least incorrectly. Shortness of breath when walking, at rest is a serious reason to consult a doctor. The main objective of therapy is to ensure normal ventilation of the lungs. On the part of the patient, it is necessary to abandon tobacco and other factors that prevent this.
In each specific situation, the attending physician offers individual treatment. Quite effective methods are ultrasonic sanitation and immunotherapy. The general treatment plan for shortness of breath is as follows:
- getting rid of foci of infection;
- normalization of the gastrointestinal tract, cardiovascular system, etc .;
- increase and strengthening of immunity;
- energetic activation of the body.
Drug treatment
There are no universal medicines for shortness of breath, because it can be caused by various diseases. In no case should you choose medications yourself, only the attending physician should do this. For example, if a patient has bronchitis, the doctor prescribes Salbutamol and Fenoterol in most cases. In case of problems of the cardiovascular system, drugs are prescribed to eliminate the ailment.
As for traditional medicine, their use in this case is a big question. Since the cause is often unknown, the situation can be significantly worsened. If you need to use alternative medicine, your doctor will tell you about it.
Gymnastics
The treatment of dyspnea involves not only drug therapy, a huge contribution is achieved through respiratory gymnastics. Moreover, the exercises are universal and significantly help to cope with the problem, regardless of the cause of its occurrence.
Consider two main tasks:
- First exhale through the mouth, then inhale the air through the nose, then exhale strongly again through the mouth and draw in the stomach. This exercise can be performed in any position. The main thing to remember is the sequence: exhale - inhale - exhale - hold your breath - exhale.
- This exercise is done while standing or sitting, with elbows bent. Open your palms and squeeze them into fists, while making noisy breaths (7 times). Then rest for a few seconds and repeat the cycle again. At least twenty approaches are recommended.
There are other effective exercises, which you can learn about from the instructor in physiotherapy. Performing regular tasks, you can forever say goodbye to shortness of breath.
Prevention
The causes of difficulties with breathing are many. To prevent all kinds of diseases, you need to reconsider your lifestyle. Follow certain rules and you will not suffer from shortness of breath:
- monitor your emotional state, avoid stress, psychological trauma and depressive situations;
- giving up bad habits like alcohol, cigarettes and drugs;
- regularly give the body physical activity - morning exercises, hiking, swimming, etc .;
- it is very important to control your body during sleep, especially watch for the head, which should lie on the pillow at an angle of forty degrees;
- if symptoms of shortage of air appear, immediately consult a doctor to avoid negative consequences;
- Perform breathing exercises before shortness of breath for preventive purposes.
I wish you good health!