When you're short of breath, it's hard or uncomfortable for you to take in the oxygen your body needs. You may feel as if you're not getting enough air. Sometimes mild breathing problems are from a stuffy nose or hard exercise. But shortness of breath can also be a sign of a serious disease. Many conditions can make you feel short of breath. Lung conditions such as asthma, emphysema or pneumonia cause breathing difficulties. Heart disease can make you feel breathless if your heart cannot pump enough blood to supply oxygen to your body. Stress caused by anxiety can also make it hard for you to breathe. If you often have trouble breathing, it is important to find out the cause.
Breathing problems are common symptoms caused by many conditions, including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), other lung diseases and heart disease. Most people who have breathing problems are aware of the condition, such as when children struggle to catch their breath during an asthma attack or ex-smokers find themselves easily winded due to emphysema.
Difficulty in breathing, shortness of breath, breathlessness or dyspnea can have various causes. Episodes of shortness of breath can occur during high levels of activity, like exhaustive exertion, or as a result of environmental conditions such as high altitude or very warm or cold temperatures. Other than these extreme conditions, shortness of breath is commonly a sign of a medical problem.
To find the cause of your shortness of breath, your doctor may order a chest x-ray or an electrocardiogram (also called an ECG). During this test, your doctor will have you lie down so your heart can be monitored. The ECG machine makes a picture, or tracing, that shows your heart's electrical signals. Your doctor may measure your breathing and the oxygen level in your blood. You also may need to have a blood test.
Breathing difficulty of any kind (or any kind of "shortness of breath") is a potentially life-threatening emergency. It can indicate numerous dangerous causes such as heart attack, pneumonia, or pulmonary embolism. There are other less serious causes, but these highly dangerous conditions need to be considered. Refer to the causes of breathing difficulty or causes of chest pain. These symptoms need to be diagnosed immediately by a medical professional because they can represent a life-threatening emergency.
Most children who take part in baby swimming show no increased incidence of lower respiratory tract infections, ear inflammation (otitis media) or tightness and wheezing in the chest. Between 6-18 months the incidence of lower respiratory tract infections and otitis media were 13 percent and 30 percent respectively, whilst the proportion of children who experienced tightness or wheezing in the chest was 40 percent.
Difficulties also affect people who are very allergic to some types of shellfish, nuts, medications and insect bites. These people can suffer an allergic reaction called anaphylactic shock. This reaction begins within minutes of exposure to the substance causing the allergy. During this type of allergic reaction, the airways narrow, making it difficult to breathe. Soon, the heartbeat races and blood pressure drops. Anaphylactic shock can kill if a person is not treated within 15 minutes.
Among children of mothers with asthma and allergy, 44 percent of those who did not go swimming had tightness or wheezing in the chest. This was compared to the 47 percent of children who swam and experienced tightness and wheezing who had mothers with asthma and allergies.
