Hard to deep breathe

I Can't Take a Deep Breath: Causes, Treatments, and Outlook

What is dyspnea?

A disruption in your regular breathing patterns can be alarming. Feeling as though you can’t take a deep breath is known in the medical community as dyspnea. Other ways to describe this symptom are hunger for air, shortness of breath, and chest tightening. Dyspnea is a symptom of many different health conditions, and it may come on rapidly or develop over time.

All cases of dyspnea warrant a visit to the doctor to diagnose the underlying cause and determine the proper treatment. Severe dyspnea that occurs rapidly and affects your overall functioning requires immediate medical attention.

Dyspnea is a symptom of a variety of conditions. Approximately 85 percent of cases of dyspnea are related to:

asthma
congestive heart failure
myocardial ischemia, or reduced blood flow to the heart that’s usually due to blockage that can lead to a heart attack
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
interstitial lung disease
pneumonia
psychogenic disorders, such as anxiety

Many of the conditions associated with dyspnea relate to the heart and lungs. This is because these organs are responsible for circulating oxygen and taking away carbon dioxide throughout your body. Heart and lung conditions can alter these processes, leading to a shortness of breath.

There are other heart and lung conditions associated with dyspnea aside from the most common ones listed above.

Heart conditions include:

angina
pulmonary edema (from congestive heart failure)
acute valvular disease
heart attack
cardiac tamponade
low blood pressure

Lung conditions include:

lung cancer
pulmonary hypertension
sleep apnea
pulmonary embolism
anaphylaxis
collapsed lung
acute respiratory distress syndrome
bronchiectasis
pleural effusion
non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema

Dyspnea is not only related to the heart and lungs. Other conditions and factors can lead to the symptom, such as:

anemia
carbon monoxide exposure
high altitude
very low or high temperatures
obesity
vigorous exercise

Just as dyspnea can occur for different reasons, the onset of the symptom can differ.

You may suddenly experience dyspnea. This requires immediate medical attention. Conditions that can cause a quick onset of dyspnea include asthma, anxiety, or a heart attack.

Conversely, you may have chronic dyspnea. This is when shortness of breath lasts beyond a month. You may experience long-term dyspnea because of COPD, obesity, or another condition.

You may have several accompanying symptoms with dyspnea. These additional symptoms can help you and your doctor diagnose its underlying cause. If you experience a cough, the dyspnea may be caused by a condition in your lungs. If you feel the symptom as chest pains, the doctor may test for heart conditions. Your doctor may discover symptoms outside of the heart and lungs that cause the dyspnea as well.

Symptoms that occur alongside dyspnea include:

heart palpitations
weight loss
crackling in the lungs
wheezing
night sweats
swollen feet and ankles
labored breathing when lying flat
high fever
chills
cough
long-term shortness of breath that becomes worse

Be sure to make a list of any symptoms you experience with dyspnea so you can share them with your doctor.

You should get medical attention immediately if you experience:

a sudden shortness of breath that interferes with your ability to function
loss of consciousness
chest pain
nausea

Dyspnea is a symptom that can cover a range of health conditions. Therefore, your doctor’s appointment may range in scope. Generally, your doctor will:

Take a medical history

This will include discussing information such as:

your current state of health and your symptoms
chronic and prior medical conditions and surgeries
medications you use
your smoking habits
your family history
recent surgeries
your working environment

Perform a physical examination

This will include:

taking your vital signs
recording your current weight
noting your appearance
measuring your peak flow and pulse oximetry
examining your lungs, neck veins, and heart

The physical examination may include other measurements and observations based on your doctor’s findings.

Conduct tests

Your doctor will conduct tests depending on your history and physical examination. Some baseline tests may include:

chest X-ray
electrocardiogram
spirometry
blood tests

If the previous tests are inconclusive, you may need more extensive testing, including:

comprehensive pulmonary function tests
echocardiography
computed tomography
ventilation/perfusion scanning
stress tests

Dyspnea can usually be treated by identifying and treating the condition that is causing it. During the time it takes for your doctor to diagnose the condition, you may receive interventions like oxygen and ventilation assistance to relive the symptom.

Treatments for dyspnea may include:

removing the airway blockage
eliminating mucus
reducing airway inflammation
alleviating the body’s hunger for air

Your doctor may prescribe medications to relieve symptoms. These may include steroids for asthma, antibiotics for pneumonia, or another medication related to your underlying condition. You may also need supplemental oxygen. In some cases, surgical intervention may be necessary to alleviate dyspnea.

There are additional treatments for dyspnea that go beyond medical interventions. Your doctor may recommend that you try breathing exercises. These can strengthen your lung functioning as well as help you combat dyspnea when it arises in your daily life.

If you experience dyspnea chronically, you should discuss lifestyle modifications that may alleviate it. These changes may reduce the occurrence of dyspnea and include:

losing weight
treating medical conditions
quitting smoking
avoiding environmental triggers like allergens and toxic air
staying in low-elevation areas (lower than 5,000 feet)
monitoring any equipment or medications you may be using

Dyspnea is a symptom of an underlying medical condition or the result of another trigger. This symptom should be taken seriously and requires a visit to your doctor.

The outlook for dyspnea depends on the underlying condition that is causing it.

I Can't Take a Deep Breath: Causes, Treatments, and Outlook

What is dyspnea?

Dyspnea is a symptom of a variety of conditions. Approximately 85 percent of cases of dyspnea are related to:

asthma
congestive heart failure
myocardial ischemia, or reduced blood flow to the heart that’s usually due to blockage that can lead to a heart attack
chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)
interstitial lung disease
pneumonia
psychogenic disorders, such as anxiety

There are other heart and lung conditions associated with dyspnea aside from the most common ones listed above.

Heart conditions include:

angina
pulmonary edema (from congestive heart failure)
acute valvular disease
heart attack
cardiac tamponade
low blood pressure

Lung conditions include:

lung cancer
pulmonary hypertension
sleep apnea
pulmonary embolism
anaphylaxis
collapsed lung
acute respiratory distress syndrome
bronchiectasis
pleural effusion
non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema

Dyspnea is not only related to the heart and lungs. Other conditions and factors can lead to the symptom, such as:

anemia
carbon monoxide exposure
high altitude
very low or high temperatures
obesity
vigorous exercise

Just as dyspnea can occur for different reasons, the onset of the symptom can differ.

You may suddenly experience dyspnea. This requires immediate medical attention. Conditions that can cause a quick onset of dyspnea include asthma, anxiety, or a heart attack.

Conversely, you may have chronic dyspnea. This is when shortness of breath lasts beyond a month. You may experience long-term dyspnea because of COPD, obesity, or another condition.

Symptoms that occur alongside dyspnea include:

heart palpitations
weight loss
crackling in the lungs
wheezing
night sweats
swollen feet and ankles
labored breathing when lying flat
high fever
chills
cough
long-term shortness of breath that becomes worse

Be sure to make a list of any symptoms you experience with dyspnea so you can share them with your doctor.

You should get medical attention immediately if you experience:

a sudden shortness of breath that interferes with your ability to function
loss of consciousness
chest pain
nausea

Dyspnea is a symptom that can cover a range of health conditions. Therefore, your doctor’s appointment may range in scope. Generally, your doctor will:

Take a medical history

This will include discussing information such as:

your current state of health and your symptoms
chronic and prior medical conditions and surgeries
medications you use
your smoking habits

your family history
recent surgeries
your working environment

Perform a physical examination

This will include:

taking your vital signs
recording your current weight
noting your appearance
measuring your peak flow and pulse oximetry
examining your lungs, neck veins, and heart

The physical examination may include other measurements and observations based on your doctor’s findings.

Conduct tests

Your doctor will conduct tests depending on your history and physical examination. Some baseline tests may include:

chest X-ray
electrocardiogram
spirometry
blood tests

If the previous tests are inconclusive, you may need more extensive testing, including:

comprehensive pulmonary function tests
echocardiography
computed tomography
ventilation/perfusion scanning
stress tests

Treatments for dyspnea may include:

removing the airway blockage
eliminating mucus
reducing airway inflammation
alleviating the body’s hunger for air

If you experience dyspnea chronically, you should discuss lifestyle modifications that may alleviate it. These changes may reduce the occurrence of dyspnea and include:

losing weight
treating medical conditions
quitting smoking
avoiding environmental triggers like allergens and toxic air
staying in low-elevation areas (lower than 5,000 feet)
monitoring any equipment or medications you may be using

Dyspnea is a symptom of an underlying medical condition or the result of another trigger. This symptom should be taken seriously and requires a visit to your doctor.

The outlook for dyspnea depends on the underlying condition that is causing it.

causes of pressing pain when inhaling

Pressing pain in the chest causes the thought of a heart attack, other heart diseases. When it is hard to breathe, there is a strong fear. The resulting tension makes breathing even more difficult. Feeling that it is pressing in the chest, you need to remain calm, analyze your condition. There are several reasons why it can be difficult to breathe and cause pain in the chest. By the nature of the pain (acute, cramping, cutting, dull), the place of localization (right, left, center, covering the entire chest, radiating to the arm or back), one can assume what caused it. nine0003

Causes

Chest pain does not always require a visit to a cardiologist. They can occur:

with heart disease - the most dangerous, but not the most common cause, pain, shortness of breath occur in a heart attack or pre-infarction condition, aortic aneurysm;
for inflammation or abscess of the lungs, pleurisy;
for gastritis, ulcer, hiatal hernia;
for violations of the endocrine system; nine0012
for diseases of the spine;
for intercostal neuralgia;
for injuries, bruises.

But no matter what diseases cause pressing pain in the chest, you can not self-medicate, take painkillers without consulting a doctor. Even if the pain syndrome is mild, it occurs infrequently, you need to tell the doctor about it and undergo an examination to determine the causes of heaviness in the chest.

Osteo-articular pathology

Pain in the chest can be caused by osteoarticular pathologies. With a change in the shape, density of bones, joints, the chest is deformed. The bones that have changed their position can compress the internal organs, the ends of the nerve endings.

In case of osteoarticular pathologies, pain occurs when trying to inhale a full chest of air, when bending over, when raising the arms. With this symptom, you should immediately consult a doctor. In the early stages, the development of the disease can be stopped by medical, manual therapy. If you do not start treatment, the disease progresses. The deformation increases, the pressure on the lungs and heart increases. Trying to take a deep breath causes severe pain. Due to shallow breathing, the cells receive less oxygen, which worsens the general condition. nine0003

In the early stages, the disease is diagnosed on the basis of the patient's complaints of pain during inhalation and radiography.

Osteochondrosis

Pressing feeling in the chest also occurs with osteochondrosis. Visit a neurologist if:

slight discomfort alternating with acute pain attacks is felt on the left or right side;
when taking deep breaths, it seems that there is a soft lump in the middle of the chest;
oppressive feeling aggravated by physical labor and relieved by lying or sitting; nine0012
taking nitroglycerin does not affect the intensity of pain symptoms, but they are relieved by anti-inflammatory drugs - they reduce swelling, and tissue pressure on the nerve endings decreases.

Anti-inflammatory drugs may temporarily relieve discomfort, relieve acute pain symptoms, but they do not stop the progression of the disease. It is necessary to take the chondoprotectors recommended by the neuropathologist - drugs that stop the destruction of bone tissue. If osteochondrosis is not treated, the pain intensifies, and an intervertebral hernia may develop. nine0003

Neuralgia

Chest pain and inability to take a deep breath are symptoms of intercostal neuralgia. It causes severe pain attacks, but is not life-threatening, like a myocardial infarction.

Symptoms of neuralgia:

due to severe pain, it is impossible to take a deep breath, it becomes more acute when coughing, moving;
the attack lasts several hours;
pain does not decrease after taking nitroglycerin;
it is difficult to raise the left hand; nine0012
severe weakness.

Neuralgia does not pose a direct threat to life, but prolonged attacks, the frequency of which may increase, interfere with work and rest. An examination (ultrasound, radiography, MRI) will reveal the cause: where and why the nerve endings are pinched. The neuropathologist will prescribe a complex drug treatment that will relieve inflammation and relieve unpleasant attacks.

Angina pectoris and heart attack

Angina pectoris, myocardial infarction are life-threatening diseases. If an attack begins, a person feels a strong pressing pain in the chest, which can radiate to the left hand, or a burning sensation, he needs to quickly provide first aid and be taken to the hospital or call an ambulance. nine0003

Symptoms of an attack of angina pectoris:

pain occurs after exercise or stress;
they are felt first in the center, and as they intensify - in the left side of the chest;
it is difficult to breathe, it seems that there is a foreign body in the larynx that does not allow air to pass through;
after taking nitroglycerin, the condition improves rapidly.

With a heart attack, severe pain in the left side of the chest is combined with other symptoms: difficulty breathing, numbness of the limbs, pallor with a blue tint of the skin and mucous membranes, profuse cold sweat, fear. An attack can begin after physical exertion, stress, or at night when a person wakes up from pressing pain in the chest. You need to call an ambulance, describing the symptoms in detail. nine0003

Diseases of the respiratory system

A pressing feeling in the chest also appears in diseases of the respiratory system: cardiac asthma, pneumonia, pleurisy, lung abscess, pulmonary embolism. Pain can occur in the left or right region of the sternum, give to the back. The patient complains that it is difficult to take a deep breath, it hurts to cough. With pneumonia, the cough may be minor, but with difficulty breathing and fever, the doctor must examine the patient and confirm or refute this diagnosis. nine0003

Diseases of the respiratory system can be life threatening. To alleviate the condition, the patient can be given a warm drink, at a temperature above 38 degrees - "Paracetamol" or another antipyretic drug and call a doctor. And if the temperature is above 40 degrees, the person suffocates, loses consciousness, the skin and mucous membranes turn blue, the limbs go numb - call an ambulance.

Other causes

Other causes of chest pain and difficulty breathing include:

Injuries - after a bruised chest, the pain may not be felt immediately, but worsen after a few hours or at night when the muscles relax. In case of any injuries, it is necessary to visit a doctor, to do x-rays.
Tumors - when growing, they cause a feeling of squeezing, pain, and make it difficult to take a deep breath.
Neuralgic pathologies - unlike intercostal neuralgia, there is no pinching of nerve endings, unpleasant symptoms occur due to severe stress, prolonged nervous tension. It can be removed by warm drinks, a walk in the fresh air, work with a psychotherapist. nine0012

What to do?

If there is a burning sensation, severe pain in the chest, do not leave him alone. Such attacks, caused by any reason, are accompanied by fear, which can turn into panic. Muscles tense, adrenaline production is activated. The more a person is afraid, the more difficult it is for him to breathe. Reassure the patient, speak to him in a calm, confident voice.

An attack is more easily tolerated in the supine position with the head elevated or sitting with support behind the back. Loosen your clothes and open a window to let in fresh air. nine0003

If the person has a heart problem, give a nitroglycerin tablet or other drug recommended by the doctor to relieve seizures.

If the attack does not go away for more than 15 minutes, is accompanied by severe pain, the person's hands go numb, he loses consciousness, breathes heavily - call an ambulance.

Lump in the throat

Pressing feeling in the chest and sensation of a lump in the throat, not allowing air to pass through, may appear:

with colds; nine0012
for angina, sinusitis, pharyngitis and other throat diseases;
with a foreign body in the lungs - the temperature rises to 39-40 degrees, it is difficult for the patient to swallow food and water, breathe;
in diseases of the thyroid gland, if there is not enough iodine in the body, the person may feel suffocated, pressure in the chest, attacks occur more often at night, with great anxiety, fear, but without acute pain;
for allergies - if, after contact with the allergen, there is pressure in the chest, hands go numb, it becomes difficult to breathe, this may begin Quincke's edema. To relieve the attack, you need to urgently take an antihistamine. nine0012

Localization of pain sensations

On the left side

Pain or pressure in the chest on the left side is felt in the following diseases: when radiography with the introduction of a contrast agent;

myocardial infarction, ischemic heart disease;

gastric ulcer or pancreatitis - unpleasant symptoms occur after eating and decrease after taking antispasmodics; nine0012

hernia of the esophageal opening - after eating, the patient finds it difficult to breathe, a consultation with a gastroenterologist and surgical treatment is needed.

On the right side

If the heart tissue is damaged, the pain can be in the right chest area, radiate to the back, to the right arm. If there is a rapid heartbeat with difficulty breathing, you need to contact a cardiologist.

If it is difficult to breathe, breathing quickens, there is a burning sensation on the right side - tracheitis, right-sided inflammation of the lungs is possible. nine0003

With intercostal neuralgia, neuralgic pathologies, pressing pains can be felt both on the right and right. Their localization on both sides of the chest is also possible with osteochondrosis, thyroid diseases, stomach ulcers, bruises, and fractures.

The symptoms of many diseases are similar. You can not independently diagnose and prescribe treatment. For acute symptoms, you need to call an ambulance. If the attack quickly passed - tell the doctor about it, do not refuse the examination. A doctor's consultation is also needed for mild, but periodically recurring unpleasant symptoms. To make an accurate diagnosis, hardware diagnostics is used: radiography, ultrasound, electrocardiogram, magnetic resonance imaging, laboratory tests. Blood and urine tests show whether there is an inflammatory process in the body, whether the kidneys cope with the elimination of toxins or the body suffers from intoxication and other signs that are significant for diagnosis. If you have felt pressing pain for the first time and do not know which doctor to contact, consult a therapist, and he will refer you to a cardiologist, gastroenterologist, neuropathologist, endocrinologist. nine0003

Shortness of breath: causes of shortness of breath

Almost everyone knows the feeling of shortness of breath when running or climbing stairs.

But there are cases when shortness of breath occurs when walking only a few tens of meters or even at rest. If in such situations it became difficult to breathe, then the matter is serious.

Breathing is a natural process, so we do not notice it. But we immediately feel if something is wrong with our breathing. Especially when, for no apparent reason, we begin to suffocate. The brain receives the appropriate signal, and our breathing quickens, and this process cannot be controlled by consciousness. Its frequency and rhythm, the duration of inhalation or exhalation have changed - in a word, you feel that you are obviously breathing somehow wrong. This is wheezing. nine0003

Types of shortness of breath and treatments

In most cases, shortness of breath is associated with hypoxia - low oxygen in the body or hypoxemia - low oxygen in the blood. Which causes irritation of the respiratory center in the brain. The result - a feeling of lack of air, involuntarily rapid breathing.

Conditionally distinguish 3 types of dyspnea

inspiratory dyspnea (difficulty inhaling) – more characteristic of heart disease
mixed shortness of breath (when both inhalation and exhalation are difficult) - characteristic of a wide variety of diseases

The most important method of dealing with shortness of breath is the treatment of the disease that caused it. As soon as the specialist finds out the cause, an effective treatment plan will be determined. For example, in coronary heart disease and myocardial infarction, treatment with tablets is often used. With bronchial asthma - regular treatment with inhalers. Since the main cause of shortness of breath in many cases is low oxygen in the body, one of the ways to reduce shortness of breath is oxygen therapy. nine0003

Causes and treatments

To determine the cause of shortness of breath, it is important to know how quickly it started. It can occur acutely - within minutes, hours, several days, or gradually - over several weeks, months or years. Let's look at the main reasons.

Poor physical condition

In principle, in this case, shortness of breath is more of a normal phenomenon than a cause for serious concern.

Physiological dyspnea occurs after climbing stairs or catching a bus. The muscles involved in the work remove oxygen from the blood. The brain tries to cover the resulting oxygen deficiency, that is, it makes us breathe more often. Such shortness of breath is not dangerous in itself, but if you are out of breath even after climbing a couple of floors, it's time to think about your physical condition. In physically active and trained people, shortness of breath occurs less frequently. nine0003

What can be done to get rid of such shortness of breath? We need regular aerobic exercise, which leads to an increase in the respiratory rate and heartbeat. If you don’t have time for the gym, brisk walks are also suitable. Go down and up the stairs within 3-4 floors.

Panic attack

As you know, strong excitement, anxiety, anger and fear stimulate the production of adrenaline. Once in the blood, adrenaline causes the body to pass a lot of air through the lungs, provoking hyperventilation. Therefore, with serious experiences, the heart rate increases and shortness of breath appears. nine0213 What to do? Shortness of breath caused by such strong emotions is, in principle, safe for health. However, for severe panic attacks (and not just shortness of breath from excitement), it is better to see a doctor. Severe shortness of breath during panic may indicate a disease - for example, vegetovascular dystonia (VVD).

Anemia or anemia

The most common is iron deficiency anemia. Iron ions saturate the blood with oxygen, play an important role in the processes of hematopoiesis. With their shortage, hypoxia develops and an emergency protective mechanism is activated - shortness of breath. nine0213 This condition is more typical for women, although men often have a lack of iron in the body. The presence of anemia is diagnosed on the basis of data from a clinical blood test.
What to do to get rid of anemia and at the same time shortness of breath? With a significant decrease in the level of hemoglobin, the doctor prescribes treatment with iron-containing drugs. They need to be taken for at least two months and monitor proper nutrition. Iron is well absorbed from the liver and red meat, but from plant foods, such as buckwheat or pomegranates, which are considered a panacea for anemia, it is rather bad. In order for the iron contained in the preparation or food to be better absorbed, vitamin C is also prescribed. nine0003

Obesity

This is no longer just insufficient fitness, but a serious disease that requires a lot of effort from a person to improve his health. At the same time, the danger is not external fat on the hips or buttocks, but internal, since obesity is not just a cosmetic defect.
A layer of fat envelops the lungs and heart, preventing a person from breathing normally. In addition, in obese people, the heart endures increased stress, as it needs to pump blood into a large fat pad. Therefore, less oxygen is supplied to important organs. nine0213 There is only one solution to the problem - to get rid of fat under the supervision of a doctor. You can not start with enhanced training in the gym - there is a high probability of losing consciousness.

Pulmonary diseases

Shortness of breath that occurs with diseases of the respiratory organs, there are two types. Inspiratory - when there is difficulty in inhaling as a result of clogging of the bronchi with mucus or with lung tumors, and expiratory - there is difficulty in exhaling as a result of spasms that occur with bronchial asthma. nine0213 To determine the causes of pulmonary dyspnea, it will be necessary to conduct an examination and treatment under the supervision of a specialist.

Ischemic heart disease

In this case, shortness of breath is manifested by a feeling of lack of air. In general, shortness of breath is as typical a sign of coronary heart disease as are compressive pains in the left side of the chest.
What to do? If you experience shortness of breath and severe chest pain for the first time, immediately call an ambulance. In men, especially young men, coronary heart disease sometimes manifests itself for the first time with myocardial infarction. When providing first aid, the scope of research is usually limited to the cardiogram, and after that the decision regarding the examination and treatment is made by the cardiologist. nine0003

Congestive heart failure

It is quite difficult to catch early signs of this disease - this is usually done with the help of special examinations.
In congestive heart failure, shortness of breath is always accompanied by a forced position of the patient. It occurs in a person lying on a low pillow and resolves when the patient assumes a sitting position. For example, US President Roosevelt slept in a sitting position in a chair just for this reason. Such shortness of breath occurs due to increased blood flow to the heart in the supine position and overflow of the heart chambers. nine0213 Treating shortness of breath in heart failure is not an easy task, but experienced cardiologists and modern drugs sometimes work wonders.

Cardiac asthma or paroxysmal dyspnea

Such a sharply occurring shortness of breath, developing into suffocation, often appears at night. Shortness of breath does not go away either in a sitting or standing position. The person becomes pale, moist rales appear in the chest, the lungs begin to swell. This condition threatens the life of the patient, so you should immediately call an ambulance. nine0213 Usually, prompt treatment is effective and eliminates an attack of cardiac asthma. In this case, the patient will need to regularly visit a cardiologist, since only competent treatment of cardiovascular diseases will maintain health in a normal state.

Pulmonary embolism

Almost the most common cause of shortness of breath is deep vein thrombophlebitis. At the same time, a person does not always have varicose veins on the surface of the skin, which would give a call to see a doctor. The insidiousness of deep vein thrombophlebitis is that the first episode proceeds quite easily - the leg swells slightly, pains and cramps appear in the calf muscle - the sensations are just like a sprain, and they do not push for examination by a doctor. The problem is that after this, blood clots appear in the veins of the problematic limb, which can move to the pulmonary artery and block the lumen in it. And this, in turn, leads to the death of a part of the lung - a heart attack-pneumonia.

Learn more