Breathlessness

Definition:

Difficult or labored breathing; shortness of breath. Dyspnea can be a sign of serious disease of the airway, lungs, or heart. The onset of dyspnea should not be ignored but is reason to seek medical attention.

Mr Stefan Chmelik on Breathlessness (dyspneoa /dyspnea), breathing issues & difficulties (sleep apnoea/apnea)

Correct diagnosis is the key here – treatment will depend on the cause of your breathing issue.

Firstly, we need to know if there is a problem with the lungs or heart themselves, and this is best done using monitoring, scans, X-rays or blood tests. Sleep studies are sometimes performed for apnoea.

If a physical cause can be ruled out, then there may be a structural or functional reason for the problem. There are several possibilities here, and each is discussed in its own section:

• Asthma, cough
• Cardiac problems
• Allergy
• Breathing Pattern Disorder