Attacks of shortness of breath: what diseases provoke this symptom

If you identify the cause and seek help in a timely manner, you can neutralize the health problem and quickly restore your ability to work. It is on the level of information content of a person that his well-being depends. Walking up stairs, for example, can cause shortness of breath, which indicates a lack of movement in the lifestyle or signals a serious disorder in the body. Attacks of shortness of breath – this is a symptom that is part of the complex of manifestations of many diseases, ranging from problems with the lungs to neurological pathologies. Consider what is shortness of breath: classification and causes of shortness of breath.

The concept of "shortness of breath": definition and classification

Shortness of breath represents hypoxia – shortage – air (oxygen) throughout the body, or hypoxemia – deficiency of oxygen in the blood. When there is not enough air, a person feels tightness in the chest or heart palpitations, dizziness.

Dyspnea is medically called dyspnea when a person breathes more than 18 breaths in 1 minute with pronounced depth. In the process of a normal lifestyle, few people pay attention to the frequency or change in breathing. It is worth worrying when the usual state of health during exercise has changed and shortness of breath has appeared: it is difficult to breathe when bending over to tie your shoelaces or during a warm-up, when walking down the street and even around the house, not to mention shortness of breath during rest. The state when there is an urgent need to stop and take a breath in order to catch your breath and resume normal breathing indicates a possible pathology and the development of the disease.

Shortness of breath can be of a different nature:

1. inspiratory – breathing difficulties, may have heart problems;
2. expiratory – difficulty exhaling, problems with the functioning of the pulmonary system;
3. mixed – difficulties in inhaling and exhaling, the occurrence of diseases of the brain, thyroid gland, and others that require additional examination.

 Also, shortness of breath can be of varying severity (depth):

0 – lack of shortness of breath – all systems and organs function normally;

1 – easy form – present when walking fast, while climbing a hill;

2 – middle form – shortness of breath, when it is necessary to stop and resume breathing, there is a slower pace of walking than before;

3 – severe form – stops when walking, every 100-150 meters, these are attacks of shortness of breath;

4 – extremely severe form – the slightest physical activity is accompanied by heavy breathing, even during rest or sleep, shortness of breath, lack of air is felt.

Attacks of shortness of breath: underlying conditions

1. Pulmonary or respiratory dyspnea

This manifestation is associated with pathology of the lungs:

• bronchial obstruction,
• lung failure,
• diseases of the lung parenchyma (lung tissue),
• vascular disease,
• pleurisy and others.

Bouts of breathlessness occur with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, may be present for weeks to an indefinite number of years.

If shortness of breath is severe and there are signs of suffocation, then we can talk about bronchial asthma. Diseases are infectious in nature – pneumonia or bronchitis, also characterized by slight shortness of breath.

Also, shortness of breath may indicate a lung tumor. Such a disease at the initial stage is asymptomatic, shortness of breath and cough may increase. A person's life is threatened by shortness of breath associated with acute airway obstruction, as well as pulmonary embolism (PE).

In rare cases, shortness of breath may be accompanied by diseases such as pneumothorax (air penetration into the pleural cavity, occurs when the lungs are mechanically damaged), pulmonary tuberculosis, actinomycosis (exposure to fungi), emphysema (the ability to exchange gases in the lungs is lost), silicosis (deposition of dust in the lungs), Bechterew's disease (violation of the shape of the chest).

2. Dyspnea in diseases of the cardiovascular system

When there is a violation of blood circulation in the cardiovascular system, attacks of shortness of breath appear. This is due to an increase in pressure in the vessels. It can be with a stroke, heart attack, cardiac asthma.

3. Neurology

Patients with neurotic disorders feel subjective shortness of breath due to fear, anxiety, as if there is a lump in the chest, there is a panic fear to breathe deeply so as not to die or choke. Patients can bring themselves to attacks of false asthma.

4. Anemia and shortness of breath

When the composition of the blood changes, shortness of breath may appear. The level of hemoglobin decreases, a person feels an acute shortage of air throughout the body, which leads to oxygen starvation – hypoxia.

5. Problems with the functioning of the endocrine system

Diseases such as obesity, thyrotoxicosis, diabetes mellitus cause shortness of breath. If there are disturbances in the functioning of the endocrine system, too many hormones are released, which leads to additional stress on the heart, and this provokes shortness of breath.

There are other causes of shortness of breath that are less terrifying – lack of oxygen in the room, lack of physical activity, fatigue. However, with any occurrence of shortness of breath, it is necessary to visit a specialist and find out the objective causes of this symptom.