Breathlessness is an unpleasant sensation of uncomfortable, rapid or difficult breathing. People say they feel puffed, short of breath or winded. The medical term is dyspnoea. Your chest may feel tight and breathing may hurt. Everyone can experience breathlessness if they run for a bus or exert themself to an unusual extent. But it is important to seek medical attention if you experience breathlessness, as it may be due to a serious underlying problem. Show
The most common causes are discussed below. In this articleBreathlessness and Difficulty BreathingDyspnoeaIn this articleWhat is breathlessness?If you have breathlessness, you experience shortness of breath and difficulty breathing. The medical term is dyspnoea. It may come on suddenly (acute) or gradually over a period of time (chronic). The reason for breathlessness is that the body needs more oxygen than it is getting. So you breathe faster to try to increase the flow of oxygen-rich air into the lungs. From the lungs, oxygen gets into the bloodstream and is pumped round the body by the heart. Who is affected by breathlessness?Sudden severe breathlessness is one of the most common reasons that people call an ambulance or go to accident and emergency departments. Breathlessness affects all of us when we exercise, especially if we are overweight or not very fit. But unpleasant breathlessness that comes on suddenly or unexpectedly can be due to a serious underlying medical condition. Pneumonia can affect the very young and the very old, asthma tends to affect young children, smokers are at greater risk of lung and heart disease and the elderly may develop heart failure. However, all these conditions can affect any age group and severe breathlessness always needs medical attention. How do you measure breathlessness?Breathlessness can be measured using a score system devised by the Medical Research Council.
General blood tests available nowGive yourself a check-up with a general blood profile, now available in Patient Access Book nowWhat investigations will be advised?The healthcare professional will want to know more about your breathlessness:
These details will help the doctor to make a diagnosis. Your doctor will examine you. They will check your heart, including your blood pressure and your lungs. You may be asked to have lung function tests including a peak flow reading. You may be sent for a chest X-ray. You may have blood tests for anaemia, for an underactive thyroid gland and for heart failure. Further tests of your heart and lungs may be necessary. Causes of breathlessnessShort-term/recent (acute) breathlessness
Long-term (chronic) breathlessness
Are there any treatments for breathlessness?Treatment will depend on the likely cause of your breathlessness. You will be strongly encouraged to stop smoking if you are a smoker. It will also help if you lose weight if you are overweight. You will probably be referred to a heart specialist (a cardiologist) or to a lung (respiratory) specialist, for further tests, depending on the most likely underlying cause. Most cases will be managed by your GP but you may be referred for further investigation and treatment at a hospital. What can you do if you feel very breathless?
What can you do to help ongoing (chronic) breathlessness?There are some breathing control techniques that can help to reduce breathlessness. Examples include:
Use different comfortable seating and standing positions when you feel breathless. Different positions suit different people but examples include:
Arrange the things you use every day to make sure they are easy to reach. Try to stay active but take a rest when you feel breathless and then start again. How can I avoid breathlessness?You will need to find the underlying cause and try to address it if possible. Don't smoke, or if you do smoke, get help to stop smoking because all common serious causes of breathlessness are more likely to affect smokers. If you maintain a normal weight and do regular exercise, you are less likely to get breathless. What is the outlook (prognosis)?This depends on the underlying cause but is generally very good. People with smoking-related diseases who continue to smoke, tend to become more and more breathless. Some people who are breathless will need oxygen. Next article Pulmonary Embolism Are you protected against flu? See if you are eligible for a free NHS flu jab today. Check now Further reading and references
Related Information
What are the risks of a lung transplant?6 minutes reading time 17-Nov-21 How to teach yourself first aid6 minutes reading time 30-Nov-20 Should parents worry about 'dry drowning'?5 minutes reading time 10-May-18
Join the discussion on the forums Health Tools Feeling unwell?Assess your symptoms online with our free symptom checker. Start symptom checkerArticle Information
The information on this page is written and peer reviewed by qualified clinicians. Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. Egton Medical Information Systems Limited has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions. For details see our conditions. What is the medical term for difficulty breathing?Listen to pronunciation. (DISP-nee-uh) Difficult, painful breathing or shortness of breath.
What is dyspnea and hypoxia?As Caroline says, Dyspnea (dissp-knee-yuh) is the feeling of being short of breath. Hypoxia (Hi-pox-ee-yuh) is having a low level of oxygen in your blood.
What is acute dyspnea?Definition (NCI) An uncomfortable sensation of difficulty breathing. It may present as an acute or chronic sign of an underlying respiratory or heart disorder.
|