Shortness of breath is a symptom caused by many diseases, some of which are very dangerous. If not diagnosed and treated promptly, the patient can experience serious complications, even life-threatening.
1. How to identify shortness of breath as a sign of disease
Doctors recommend that you always listen to your body, and if you experience shortness of breath in the following cases, you most likely have a disease and need to see a doctor soon:
The shortness of breath is long-lasting, persistent, or it can be short-lived but sudden and severe. Tests are needed to find out the exact cause.
Even at rest, when lying down, you still feel tired and short of breath.
Shortness of breath on exertion.
In addition, this phenomenon becomes even more dangerous if it is accompanied by some symptoms such as chest pain, neck pain, jaw pain, swollen feet, sudden weight gain or weight loss without any reason, loss of appetite. , fatigue, sweating a lot, coughing up green, yellow sputum or coughing up blood, accompanied by fever, blue-violet nail tips, bruised lips, dizziness, etc.
Difficulty breathing can be the cause of many diseases.
Based on the causes of shortness of breath, the doctor will recommend the appropriate treatment. For example, if the cause is heart disease, the treatment is to use heart failure drugs such as ACE inhibitors, diuretics, digoxin, etc.
If breathing is difficult due to chronic pneumonia, then the doctor may prescribe bronchospasm and anti-inflammatory drugs or give the patient oxygen. In cases where the cause is an infection, antibiotics may be considered.
2. Main causes of shortness of breath
Shortness of breath can be a symptom of some of the following conditions:
Generalized anxiety disorder
If you often worry excessively, accompanied by symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, trouble sleeping, etc., you may be experiencing generalized anxiety disorder. The disease is common in people between the ages of 30 and 40.
Pneumonia
Pneumonia can seriously affect health, especially those with weak resistance such as the elderly and young children. If not treated promptly, the disease is also at risk of complications such as lung abscess, pleural fluid accumulation, even death.
In addition to shortness of breath, pneumonia also has a number of other symptoms such as fever, shortness of breath, chest pain, or fatigue, nausea and diarrhea.
Asthma
This is a chronic form of lung, caused by inflammation and narrowing of the airways. Inflammation of the airways causes mucus to be produced, causing frequent coughing, difficulty breathing, wheezing or shortness of breath.
Currently, there is no definitive cure for asthma, but it can be controlled with very effective medications.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
The disease makes it difficult for air to get in and out of the lungs. When suffering from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, the patient will be tired, cough a lot, wheeze, have difficulty breathing, etc. Treatment for severe cases is surgery to reduce lung volume or lung transplant surgery.
Lung cancer
It is a dangerous disease and one of the cancers with a high mortality rate. Most patients are detected at a late stage, the disease has advanced and is difficult to treat.
Patients may experience fatigue.
Some of the symptoms of the disease include difficulty breathing, chest pain, bone pain, coughing up blood, and unexplained weight loss. Depending on the condition of the patient, the doctor may prescribe surgery, radiation or chemotherapy for the patient.
Pulmonary embolism
This is a condition in which a blood clot forms in the lungs, blocking a pulmonary artery. Some factors that increase the risk of a pulmonary embolism include cancer, obesity, or a hip or leg fracture.
Shortness of breath is one of the signs of the disease. In addition, patients with pulmonary embolism may also experience shortness of breath, anxiety, swelling in the calf or coughing up blood. The disease can be life-threatening.
Anemia
For patients with anemia, low hemoglobin levels are when the patient feels more obvious shortness of breath. Accompanied by signs of dizziness, chest pain and pale skin.
Anemia is a disease that is not difficult to treat, but if you are subjective and not regularly checked, the disease can seriously affect your health.
Heart-related diseaes
Cardiovascular diseases, including heart failure, are one of the main causes of shortness of breath. Patients with ischemic heart disease due to coronary artery disease may present with frequent episodes of intermittent dyspnea without chest pain.
Seek medical attention early if you have any unusual symptoms.
Tuberculosis
These are infectious disease and has great influence to the lungs. These cases may be encountered manifestations such as fatigue, shortness of breath breath, difficulty breathing, coughing up blood, fever, and sweating at night, ...
Thus, we can say that, dyspnea is typical symptoms of heart disease, lung. Therefore, if the body has unusual symptoms, you should consult a doctor soon to be diagnosed and treated promptly.
To curb this situation, experts recommend:
It is recommended to quit smoking to reduce heart and lung diseases, especially the risk of lung cancer.
Avoid contact with toxic substances, substances that dirt, which may cause allergic reactions.
Should exercise regularly to keep weight at a stable level, avoiding overweight and obesity. This is the cause of many diseases.
Healthy diet, science to prevent many diseases.
Note for patients with heart failure is to reduce the amount of salt in the daily diet, besides, medication and regular monitoring of weight.
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