The causes of shortness of breath when walking can be very different - from physiological factors to psychosomatic abnormalities and serious illnesses. Today we will find out what shortness of breath is, what diseases it is associated with, and when it poses a serious threat to health.
Shortness of breath: what is it and why does it occur?
Shortness of breath or dyspnea is a breathing disorder accompanied by a change in its depth and frequency. This condition is characterized by several main signs:
- breathing becomes frequent and shallow;
- there is a feeling of suffocation and lack of air;
- inhalations and exhalations are noisy, often accompanied by whistling or wheezing.
Shortness of breath can occur in a completely healthy person. In this case, it is considered physiological, and occurs under conditions of hypoxia (lack of oxygen), which is observed when rising to high altitudes or when staying in confined spaces where the air contains a high content of carbon dioxide.
Causes of shortness of breath during physical activity there is a lack of special training. That is, when a person who has not previously exercised puts an intense load on the body (running, walking, lifting weights), shortness of breath occurs as a compensatory mechanism that allows it to adapt to new conditions. If you’ve been lying on the couch for six months before, and then suddenly decide to build muscle mass, you shouldn’t be surprised that after a few minutes of training your breathing will become difficult and you’ll begin to choke.
However, physiological shortness of breath will not haunt you constantly. Regular training, gradually increasing loads, building endurance will soon help you get rid of this symptom. Pathological shortness of breath, which is a companion to many diseases of the cardiovascular, respiratory, and immune systems of the body, is a completely different matter.
Symptoms and classification
Normal respiratory rate is 16-20 per minute. Shortness of breath is said to occur when the frequency, rhythm and depth of breathing changes, which causes significant discomfort to the person. According to the nature of the manifestation, experts distinguish three conditions:
- inspiratory dyspnea - manifests itself during inspiration and is a consequence of narrowing of the lumen of the large bronchi and trachea;
- expiratory shortness of breath - observed during exhalation, caused by narrowing of the small bronchi, manifests itself in conditions such as COPD or pulmonary enphysema:
- mixed type - accompanied by complicated inhalation and exhalation and is a consequence of severe pulmonary diseases or heart failure.
A healthy person usually does not pay attention to his breathing. During moderate physical activity, such as climbing stairs, your breathing rate usually increases. This condition does not cause much discomfort, since shortness of breath quickly passes and breathing is restored. But there are such severe pathologies when shortness of breath persists even at rest.
Experts distinguish 5 degrees of severity in relation to shortness of breath that plagues the patient:
- Zero. Shortness of breath appears only during intense physical activity.
- Mild degree. Appears during fast, prolonged walking or while climbing to an elevation.
- Average degree. Occurs regularly and forces a slower walking pace and frequent stops to catch your breath.
- Heavy. Shortness of breath appears after just a few minutes of walking and forces the patient to stop every 100 meters, or after climbing just one flight of stairs, to restore breathing.
- Extremely heavy. A person begins to choke at the slightest physical exertion; shortness of breath can occur even at rest, which forces the patient to very rarely leave the house.
Depending on the cause of its occurrence, pathological shortness of breath is a consequence of anemia, pulmonary, and cardiac pathologies and occurs in acute or chronic form. This condition can persist constantly or appear periodically, with exacerbation of concomitant diseases.
Therefore, you should not ignore a dangerous symptom, because it can be a sign of life-threatening pathologies. If shortness of breath occurs, you should consult a doctor and determine the cause of this condition.
Causes of pathological shortness of breath
The main causes of shortness of breath and lack of air during various diseases can be divided into 4 large groups. A characteristic symptom appears in the following pathologies:
- Respiratory failure developing as a result of bronchial obstruction and lung diseases.
- Heart failure.
- Diseases associated with metabolic disorders.
- Neuroses and neurocirculatory dystonia, accompanied by hyperventilation syndrome.
Let's take a closer look at diseases that can cause severe shortness of breath and cause significant discomfort to the patient.
Shortness of breath with anemia
Anemia is a common disease accompanied by changes in blood composition and a drop in hemoglobin levels. The cause of the disease is strict diets, unbalanced nutrition, chronic bleeding, metabolic disorders or severe infections.
Because important role Since hemoglobin plays a role in the delivery of oxygen from the lungs to organs and tissues, its deficiency leads to hypoxia (oxygen starvation). To compensate for this disorder, the body increases the frequency and depth of breaths, trying to pump more oxygen into the lungs, which causes the characteristic shortness of breath. The course of anemia is accompanied by weakness, loss of strength, pale skin, dizziness, headaches, and shortness of breath complicates the disease and causes significant discomfort to the patient.
Cardiac dyspnea
Shortness of breath in pathologies of the cardiovascular system accompanies conditions such as acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, heart defects, pericarditis, myocarditis or cardiomyopathy. If left untreated, cardiac dyspnea increases rapidly and is accompanied by other characteristic symptoms - pain in the heart area, pallor of the skin, cyanosis of the nasolabial triangle. By the rate of increase in breathing difficulties, the doctor can judge the severity of the heart pathology.
If shortness of breath occurs during night sleep, heart failure may be suspected. In the chronic form of this disease, shortness of breath is accompanied by deep breaths, thus the body reflexively tries to cope with oxygen starvation.
The most dangerous condition is an increase in shortness of breath at rest. This symptom indicates a severe form of heart failure and requires immediate comprehensive treatment to avoid possible complications (myocardial infarction).
Another characteristic symptom of cardiac dyspnea is the state of ortapnea. This is often observed in cardiac asthma and is manifested by increased shortness of breath when lying down. As a result, the patient is forced to take a vertical position to facilitate breathing, which is accompanied by insomnia and a feeling of chronic fatigue during the day.
With cardiac asthma, paroxysmal shortness of breath develops, which is characterized by nocturnal attacks of suffocation, leading to the awakening of the patient. Heart defects cause severe shortness of breath even with minor physical exertion and are also accompanied by fatigue, palpitations, pallor, swelling, and pain.
With paroxysmal tachycardia, shortness of breath appears simultaneously with a sensation of palpitations, the severity of which depends on how severely the blood flow in the vessels is impaired. Treatment of cardiac dyspnea is complex. To eliminate the dangerous syndrome, it is necessary to stimulate the heart and remove excess fluid from the lungs. The patient needs constant supervision by specialists and must regularly take medicines to prevent further progression of the disease.
Pulmonary dyspnea
Dyspnea of varying severity develops in almost all diseases of the lungs and bronchi:
- COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease);
- pneumonia;
- pulmonary edema;
- bronchial asthma;
- tuberculosis;
- pneumothorax and emphysema;
- damage to the respiratory muscles due to myasthenia gravis, paralysis, poliomyelitis;
- compression of the lungs due to scoliosis, ankylosing spondylitis;
- silicosis - an occupational disease that causes lung damage;
- malignant tumors.
Pulmonary edema develops with pathologies of the left ventricle of the heart. In this case, severe shortness of breath appears, causing suffocation, and a wet cough, which is accompanied by the separation of watery mucus. Breathing becomes loud and bubbling, wheezing appears in the lungs. The patient needs emergency medical care.
Spicy and chronic forms bronchitis is accompanied by an inflammatory process in large and small bronchi. The patient's condition is complicated by a runny nose, fever, and sore throat. A characteristic dry or wet cough, shortness of breath, and weakness appears. Pneumonia - inflammation of the lung tissue is accompanied by similar symptoms, but shortness of breath appears from the very beginning of the disease and is characterized by a mixed form, that is, the patient experiences difficulty breathing during inhalation and exhalation.
COPD is a lung disease accompanied by a narrowing of the lumen of the bronchi and an increase in expiratory shortness of breath. That is, the patient inhales easily, but exhaling is difficult for him. In COPD, the narrowing of the bronchi is almost irreversible and is accompanied by a wet cough with sputum.
With bronchial asthma, shortness of breath appears in attacks, while the patient easily inhales air, but cannot exhale it. The condition is complicated by the appearance of congestion and pain in the chest, cough. The attack is relieved with medications - bronchomimetics, which relax and expand the lumen of the bronchi.
Lung cancer in the initial stages is asymptomatic. Subsequently, as the tumor reaches large sizes, characteristic shortness of breath appears, symptoms such as severe, hacking cough, hemoptysis.
Shortness of breath due to endocrine pathologies
Diabetes mellitus leads to damage to the kidneys and blood vessels and provokes oxygen starvation in the body. The development of diabetic nephropathy is complicated by anemia and increased hypoxia, which in turn leads to characteristic shortness of breath.
Thyrotoxicosis is a condition in which the thyroid gland produces an excess of thyroid hormones. Under their influence, the heart muscle begins to contract vigorously, accelerating metabolic processes in the body and increasing its need for oxygen. A rapid heartbeat makes it difficult to fully pump blood to tissues and organs, causing oxygen starvation and shortness of breath.
Causes of shortness of breath in older people
With age, the body's immune defense weakens, internal organs and tissues gradually age, and chronic diseases develop. As a result, older adults have a significantly increased risk of severe lung disease and bacterial and viral infections. After a certain age level (usually after 60 years), the following pathologies become the main cause of difficulty breathing:
- pneumonia;
- COPD;
- bronchial asthma;
- anemia;
- heart failure.
Often the cause of shortness of breath in old age is concomitant diabetes mellitus, obesity and other pathologies of the endocrine system. If characteristic symptoms appear, you should immediately seek medical help. This will help prevent the development of dangerous complications.
In children
Breathing problems can be suspected if the frequency in a child under 1 year of age is more than 40 respiratory movements per minute, in a child over 5 years old - more than 25/min. You need to check the respiratory rate (RR) at rest while the child is sleeping. To do this, just put your hand on the baby’s chest and count the number of inhalations and exhalations per minute.
If the respiratory rate significantly exceeds the norm and slowly recovers at rest, you need to sound the alarm and contact a specialist for examination. What pathologies can cause shortness of breath in a child? Most often these are congenital cardiac anomalies (heart defects) or Iron-deficiency anemia caused by hypovitaminosis and malnutrition.
Bacterial and viral bronchitis, pneumonia, allergic reactions or bronchial asthma can provoke shortness of breath in a child. In addition, shortness of breath in children can occur with acute stenotic laryngotracheitis, accompanied by swelling and narrowing of the larynx. This is a dangerous condition that can cause suffocation. In this case, the child needs urgent hospitalization.
During pregnancy
In a young woman, shortness of breath is caused by pregnancy. Almost 50% of expectant mothers, starting from the 8th week of pregnancy, begin to experience some discomfort and difficulty breathing when walking quickly or physically exerting themselves. The longer the pregnancy, the more pronounced the discomfort with shortness of breath and increased fatigue.
We hasten to reassure our readers, since doctors consider this condition to be a variant of the physiological norm. During pregnancy, a woman's lungs experience a double load, since the fetus does not have its own gas exchange system.
Therefore, a woman’s lungs must also provide oxygen to the unborn child. Most often, the respiratory system does not have time to adapt to the increased needs of the body, and the concentration of carbon dioxide in the blood increases (especially with increased physical activity). This causes shortness of breath or, using medical terminology, dysfunctional breathing of pregnant women.
Shortness of breath after eating
Violation respiratory functions after a heavy meal - a fairly common occurrence. Why is this happening? The mechanism for the development of “after-dinner” shortness of breath is that after the intake of food, the digestive system is actively involved in its work. Special digestive enzymes are released that are necessary to break down the food bolus.
To ensure these processes, blood flow to the stomach, pancreas, liver and intestines is necessary. If the body functions normally, then this process occurs without deviations. In the presence of chronic diseases, digestion fails and internal organs experience oxygen starvation. To compensate, the lungs begin to work harder, resulting in increased breathing and shortness of breath.
Which doctor should I contact?
If you experience shortness of breath, you should not delay seeking medical help, as this symptom may indicate the development of dangerous diseases. First, you should visit a therapist and undergo the necessary examination.
Diagnostic measures consist of a series of laboratory and hardware tests and include blood and sputum tests, spirometry, ECG and ultrasound of the heart, chest fluorography or computed tomography (CT), which allows to determine pathological changes in the lungs.
After clarifying the diagnosis and finding out the cause that provokes breathing problems, specialized specialists will get down to business. In case of cardiovascular disorders, the patient will be managed by a cardiologist, and in case of pulmonary pathologies, by a pulmonologist. If the cause of shortness of breath is other conditions, then, if necessary, an endocrinologist, neurologist, hematologist, oncologist and other specialists are involved in treatment.
Shortness of breath (dyspnea) is a painful feeling of lack of air, in extreme terms taking the form of suffocation.
If shortness of breath occurs in a healthy person against the background of physical activity or severe psycho-emotional stress, it is considered physiological. Its cause is the body's increased need for oxygen. In other cases, shortness of breath is caused by some disease and is called pathological.
According to the difficulty of the inhalation or exhalation phase, shortness of breath is distinguished as inspiratory and expiratory, respectively. A variant of mixed shortness of breath with limitation of both phases is also possible.
There are several types of shortness of breath. Dyspnea is considered subjective if the patient feels difficulty breathing, dissatisfaction with inhalation, but this cannot be measured and there are no factors for its occurrence. Most often it is a symptom of hysteria, neurosis, and thoracic radiculitis. Objective shortness of breath is characterized by a violation of the frequency, depth of breathing, duration of inhalation or exhalation, as well as increased work of the respiratory muscles.
Causes of shortness of breath
Shortness of breath can be caused by a long list of diseases. First of all this:
- diseases respiratory system,
- pathologies of the cardiovascular system,
- blood diseases,
- endocrine system disorders and other factors.
Diseases associated with shortness of breath
In diseases of the respiratory system, shortness of breath may be the result of an obstruction in the airways or a decrease in the respiratory surface area of the lungs.
An obstruction in the upper respiratory tract (foreign body, tumor, accumulation of sputum) makes it difficult to inhale and pass air to the lungs, thereby causing inspiratory dyspnea. Reducing the lumen of the final sections of the bronchial tree - bronchioles, small bronchi due to inflammatory edema or spasm of their smooth muscles prevents exhalation, causing expiratory shortness of breath. In the case of narrowing of the trachea or large bronchus, shortness of breath takes on a mixed character, which is associated with the limitation of both phases of the respiratory act.
Mixed shortness of breath will also be due to inflammation of the lung parenchyma (pneumonia), atelectasis, tuberculosis, actinomycosis (fungal infection), silicosis, pulmonary infarction or compression from the outside by air, fluid in the pleural cavity (with hydrothorax, pneumothorax). Severe mixed shortness of breath up to suffocation is observed with pulmonary embolism. The patient takes a forced sitting position with support on his hands. Choking in the form of a sudden attack is a symptom of asthma, bronchial or cardiac.
With pleurisy, breathing becomes shallow and painful; a similar picture is observed with chest injuries and inflammation of the intercostal nerves, damage to the respiratory muscles (with poliomyelitis, paralysis, myasthenia gravis).
Shortness of breath due to heart disease is a fairly common and diagnostically significant symptom. The cause of shortness of breath here is a weakening of the pumping function of the left ventricle and stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation.
The severity of heart failure can be judged by the degree of shortness of breath. On initial stage shortness of breath appears during physical exertion: climbing stairs more than 2-3 floors, walking uphill, against the wind, moving at a fast pace. As the disease progresses, it becomes difficult to breathe even with slight exertion, when talking, eating, walking at a calm pace, or lying horizontally. In the severe stage of the disease, shortness of breath occurs even with minimal exertion and any actions, such as getting out of bed, moving around the apartment, bending the body, entail a feeling of lack of air. IN final stage shortness of breath is present even at rest.
Attacks of severe shortness of breath, suffocation that occur after physical, psycho-emotional stress or suddenly, often at night, during sleep are called cardiac asthma. The patient is in a forced sitting position. Breathing becomes noisy, bubbling, audible at a distance. The release of foamy sputum may be observed, which indicates the onset of pulmonary edema; the participation of auxiliary muscles in the act of breathing and retraction of the intercostal spaces are noticeable to the naked eye.
In addition, shortness of breath in combination with chest pain, palpitations, and interruptions in cardiac function can be a sign of acute myocardial infarction, rhythm disturbances (paroxysmal tachycardia, atrial fibrillation) and is caused by a sharp decrease in heart function, a decrease in perfusion and oxygen supply to organs and tissues.
A group of blood diseases, one of the symptoms of which is shortness of breath, includes anemia and leukemia (tumor diseases). Both are characterized by a decrease in the level of hemoglobin and red blood cells, the main role of which is oxygen transport. Accordingly, oxygenation of organs and tissues deteriorates. A compensatory reaction occurs, the frequency and depth of breathing increases - thereby the body begins to consume more oxygen from the environment per unit of time.
Another group is endocrine (thyrotoxicosis, diabetes mellitus) and hormonally active diseases (obesity).
For thyrotoxicosis thyroid gland an excess amount of hormones is produced, under the influence of which all metabolic processes are accelerated, metabolism and oxygen consumption increase. Here, shortness of breath, as with anemia, is compensatory in nature. In addition, high levels of T3 and T4 increase the work of the heart, contributing to rhythm disturbances such as paroxysmal tachycardia, atrial fibrillation with the consequences mentioned above.
Shortness of breath when diabetes mellitus can be considered as a consequence of diabetic microangiopathy, leading to impaired trophism and oxygen starvation of cells and tissues. The second link is kidney damage - diabetic nephropathy. The kidneys produce the hematopoietic factor erythropoietin, and its deficiency causes anemia.
With obesity, as a result of the deposition of adipose tissue in the internal organs, the work of the heart and lungs is hampered, and the excursion of the diaphragm is limited. In addition, obesity is often accompanied by atherosclerosis and hypertension, which also entails disruption of their function and the occurrence of shortness of breath.
Shortness of breath to the point of suffocation can be observed with various types of systemic poisoning. The mechanism of its development includes an increase in the permeability of the vascular wall at the microcirculatory level and toxic pulmonary edema, as well as direct damage to the heart with disruption of its function and stagnation of blood in the pulmonary circulation.
How to treat shortness of breath?
It is impossible to eliminate shortness of breath without understanding the cause and identifying the disease that caused it. For any degree of severity of shortness of breath, you should consult a doctor to provide timely assistance and prevent complications. Doctors whose competence includes the treatment of diseases with shortness of breath are a therapist, a cardiologist, and an endocrinologist.
Specialists at AVENU medical centers will answer all questions related to your problem in detail and in an accessible manner and will do everything to solve it.
Dyspnea, the causes of which may vary depending on the disease that caused it, is divided into inspiratory (for example, with bronchial asthma), expiratory (with damage to the diaphragm), cardiac (with asthma) and mixed. With a pronounced inspiratory form, inhalation is difficult as a result of narrowing of the trachea or bronchi. Expiratory shortness of breath can be either short or long-lasting. In this case, exhalation is difficult due to spasm of the muscles of the small bronchi. Paroxysmal shortness of breath may occur when a feeling of lack of air or suffocation suddenly occurs.
What causes shortness of breath?
It often appears as a consequence of the following diseases:
- Presence of heart and vascular diseases.
- Anemia.
- Tuberculosis, as well as other infectious diseases.
- Organic or functional damage to the central nervous system.
- Osteochondrosis (mainly of the thoracic region).
What if nothing hurts?
If shortness of breath occurs after eating or at rest, the cause of which is unknown, you should immediately consult a doctor. The concern is that shortness of breath appears only as a symptom of various serious diseases.
Shortness of breath: symptoms
There are several types of manifestations of disturbances in the rhythm of inhalation and exhalation.
View No. 1: Cheyne-Stokes breathing
At first, the breathing movements gradually increase and intensify, then the breathing becomes shallow and for some period of time may disappear completely, at the next stage the breathing movements intensify again.
View No. 2: Kussmaul breathing
This breathing is characterized by a long inhalation, exhalation, followed by a long pause, after which repetition occurs.
View #3: Bluth's breathing
With this breathing, frequent shallow respiratory movements are observed, and then long pauses.
Cough is a “partner” of shortness of breath
The most common symptom of respiratory disease is a cough. This is the result of reflex irritation of the cough center, which is located in the brain. Accumulated phlegm and mucus in the respiratory tract is irritating and causes coughing.
Shortness of breath does not come alone
It is worth noting that shortness of breath occurs, the causes of which are sometimes difficult to explain if a person has a whole list of acquired diseases that can cause this illness. In any case, coughing is a protective, reflex act of the body. Pain in the chest due to pathological processes in the bronchopulmonary system does not depend on the movement of our body; it intensifies with breathing and can be accompanied by a cough. The latter has several types:
- Coughing, which is observed at the beginning of the inflammatory process with tracheitis, mild tracheobronchitis.
- Pulmonary cough or strong cough tremors with bronchitis, pneumonia.
- Paroxysmal in whooping cough and bronchial asthma.
Health reflects lifestyle
It is noteworthy that more than 70% of people suffering from respiratory diseases lead an unhealthy lifestyle. That is why such an ailment as shortness of breath, the causes of which are 50% dependent on addiction to drugs and alcohol, can be painlessly avoided.
Shortness of breath is an unusual sensation of breathing or the need to breathe more intensely. Dyspnea can be defined as respiratory discomfort, difficulty breathing, an uncomfortable or unpleasant sensation of one's breathing, or the awareness of difficulty breathing.
Shortness of breath as a sign of respiratory failure appears when the human respiratory system is unable to meet the body's gas exchange needs. This situation occurs when the body’s need for oxygen increases or the delivery of oxygen to tissues is impaired (in a number of cardiovascular and bronchopulmonary diseases).
Causes of shortness of breath when walking
Most often, the causes of shortness of breath when walking are pathologies in the heart, diseases of the lungs and bronchi, throat and disruption of the circulatory system. It is worth noting that even with insignificant deviations, it is easy for an outsider who is quite observant to identify and diagnose shortness of breath. Shortness of breath manifests itself as difficulty breathing, pain in the throat and blood vessels, pain in the heart and interruptions in its functioning, and in addition to this, sometimes a person may bleed from the throat or nose.
There are several groups of reasons that can cause shortness of breath:
- Physical exercise;
- Neuroses, panic attacks, fears and anxieties;
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease;
- Obesity;
- Lung diseases;
- Cardiac ischemia;
- Congestive heart failure;
- , or paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea;
- Pulmonary embolism (clogging it with blood clots).
The diseases and conditions listed above are the most common. If you experience shortness of breath, it is best to consult a doctor to determine the specific cause of the feeling of shortness of breath.
It is very important to immediately contact a specialist or call an ambulance if you suddenly experience shortness of breath, especially if it is accompanied by chest pain, nausea, vomiting or fever. These signs may indicate a very serious illness. In any situation, the doctor will be able to determine an individual examination plan to determine the cause.
Causes of pulmonary dyspnea
Pulmonary dyspnea is one that is caused by diseases and pathologies of the lungs.
- Expiratory dyspnea- the most common form, which is determined by difficulty in exhaling and occurs when the lumen in the bronchi narrows due to their swelling, spasm or blockage with mucus. To cope with this problem during breathing, you have to strengthen the work of the respiratory muscles, but this is not enough, and the exhalation cycle can be difficult.
- Inspiratory dyspnea. The patient has difficulty breathing. This is due to the accumulation of fluid in the chest due to tumor phenomena, laryngeal edema, fibrosis, pleurisy and others. A person cannot speak without taking multiple breaths. The appearance of such shortness of breath is possible even with minor physical activity. Inhalation is accompanied by a whistling sound.
Shortness of breath due to heart failure
There is also shortness of breath with. Its occurrence is directly affected by thinning of the walls of blood vessels, septal defects, heart failure, stenosis. Also, one of the causes of cardiac dyspnea is heart defects. As a result, oxygen starvation occurs, which is also the cause of shortness of breath when walking. Signs of this shortness of breath are orthopnea and polypnea.
- Polypnea. The condition is caused by excessive blood flow to the heart when the patient is in a horizontal position. This may be due to heart failure. Frequent and deep breathing is noted, sometimes to the point of hyperventilation.
- Orthopnea is a syndrome of cardiac shortness of breath that forces a person to be in an upright position all the time, as this alleviates his condition. Orthopnea is associated with left ventricular and left atrial failure.
Central dyspnea
This type of shortness of breath occurs with pathologies of the central nervous system, with neuroses, and also under the influence of neurotropic substances. Central dyspnea is not a consequence of pathology, it is itself the cause. It manifests itself in different ways: hypernoea, oligopnea, arrhythmia.
Hematogenous dyspnea
It is very rare and is associated with the toxic effects of breakdown products during metabolism. It is characterized by very frequent and deep breathing. The causes are: anemia, endocrine disorders and kidney or liver failure.
Symptoms
Main symptoms of shortness of breath:
- breathing quickens;
- pulse rises;
- there is a feeling of suffocation;
- breathing becomes noisy;
- the depth of inhalation and exhalation changes.
Shortness of breath begins in the following cases:
- while walking – this is associated with cardiac activity;
- climbing stairs - speaks of an infection in the lungs, a cold;
- going out into the cold - the reason is an allergy to the cold due to lung pathology;
- during rest at night – congestion of the heart muscle;
- during sex - any reasons are possible, for example, anemia, iron deficiency in the blood.
Shortness of breath when walking has certain causes, and treatment folk remedies not always able to cope with the source of shortness of breath. Therefore, do not self-medicate at home if you experience this symptom.
How to treat shortness of breath when walking?
Before you start fighting shortness of breath, you should not go to the pharmacy and buy pills that a friend recommended. First of all it is necessary:
- Quit the bad habit of smoking if you smoke;
- Lose weight if you have excess weight;
- Adjust blood pressure if it is present in abnormal numbers.
To determine the cause of respiratory distress, You will also need to undergo an examination, which includes:
- R-graph of the chest;
- Ultrasound of the heart;
- Analysis of external respiration function.
The most important method of combating shortness of breath is treating the disease that caused the shortness of breath. As soon as the doctor finds out the cause, an effective treatment plan will be immediately determined.
For example, for coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction - treatment with tablets. For COPD and bronchial asthma - regular treatment with inhalers. Because main reason shortness of breath in many cases is hypoxia and hypoxemia (low oxygen content in the body), one of effective ways Reducing shortness of breath is oxygen therapy.
Currently, devices have been developed - oxygen concentrators, which allow you to “extract” oxygen from the air around the clock. Inhalation of oxygen in high concentrations eliminates hypoxia and hypoxemia.
Which doctor should I contact for shortness of breath?
When a person’s diagnosis is still unknown, it is best to make an appointment with a therapist. After the examination, the doctor will be able to establish a presumptive diagnosis and, if necessary, refer the patient to a specialized specialist.
If shortness of breath is associated with lung pathology, you should consult a pulmonologist; if you have heart disease, consult a cardiologist. Anemia is treated by a hematologist, pathology of the nervous system by a neurologist, diseases of the endocrine glands by an endocrinologist, mental disorders accompanied by shortness of breath by a psychiatrist.