Understanding Dyspnea: Causes, Symptoms, and Treatments

Dyspnea is a common condition caused when someone’s body is down, and it can be caused by heart or lung conditions. Dyspnea refers to the feeling of having difficulty breathing. Dyspnea is experienced when insufficient oxygen levels or excess carbon dioxide in a person’s blood. In this, a person experiences intense chest tightness, a feeling of suffocation and shortness of breath. This kind of breathlessness could be not just a symptom of a heart or lung disease but also because of conditions like general allergies or asthma. Dyspnea is the medical term for experiencing shortness of breath. Sounds like a general condition, right? However, this seemingly general condition could cause many medical conditions. Let’s learn more about dyspnea. This blog will discuss and understand the condition and learn more about the accompanying dyspnea symptoms and its treatment methods. Let’s dive in! 

Dyspnea Symptoms: 

The following are the dyspnea symptoms that you can look out for and, when recognized, get immediate help. 

• Strained Breathing: One of the main symptoms of dyspnea is strained breathing. This kind of strenuous breathing, if it lasts for about one to two minutes after an intense physical activity, is a cause of concern. Dyspnea can be mild to severe, and if the condition or breathlessness is too severe, it can severely impact a person’s quality of life. This one of the dyspnea symptoms occurs even when the body is at rest. 
• Tightness in the Chest: Another one of the dyspnea symptoms is tightness in the chest area. This could accompany strained breathing. Many patients complain of having a heavy feeling in the heart, with a squeezing sensation. 
• Heart Palpitations: Heavy and rapid heartbeats are also one of the dyspnea symptoms. Rapid heartbeats are felt in the throat, neck, and chest.
• Wheezing and Coughing: A screeching noise while breathing and constant coughing are also among dyspnea symptoms. Wheezing can occur because of blocked or narrowed airways. The body makes constant attempts to clear off the mucus, dirt, and other junk that has accumulated, resulting in coughing and wheezing. 
• Blue Skin, Lips, or Nails: When dyspnea occurs, there is usually less oxygen in the blood, which results in blue skin, lips, or nails.
• High Fever: High fever is common with dyspnea. It usually indicates a respiratory infection or inflammation, and it is necessary to get immediate medical attention, as a high fever could be indicative of other serious diseases.
• Swollen Ankles or Feet: Edema, swollen ankles or feet, occurs when fluid accumulates in the tissues. This is another one of the dyspnea symptoms. A sign of poor circulation could point towards a decline in heart functioning. Again, these symptoms require immediate medical attention. 

Types of Dyspnea: 

• Acute Dyspnea: As the name suggests, acute dyspnea occurs over a few days and then diminishes. Some reasons for this include allergies, the common cold, conditions like anxiety, and any other illnesses. This does not mean that sudden dyspnea symptoms can occur only because of minor medical conditions. Major medical conditions like heart attack or pulmonary embolism can also cause dyspnea. 
• Chronic Dyspnea: Chronic dyspnea occurs when a condition continues for a longer time or happens consistently over a period of time. Health conditions like heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and asthma can have dyspnea as the accompanying symptoms. 

Causes of Dyspnea: 

• Lung Diseases: Different types of lung conditions, such as asthma, allergies, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, respiratory illnesses like flu, bronchitis, or bacterial infections, pneumonia, pulmonary hypertension, tuberculosis, and pulmonary embolism, can also cause dyspnea. 
• Heart Conditions: Arrhythmias, heart failure, and inflammation around the heart muscle can cause dyspnea. 
• Blood Disorders: Blood disorders like anaemia can cause low oxygen levels in the bloodstream and lead to symptoms like dyspnea. 
• Other Issues: In addition to physical conditions, mental disorders like anxiety can cause physical symptoms like dyspnea. Sometimes, certain medications can also cause dyspnea as a side effect. Some examples of these medications are beta-blockers used to treat high blood pressure and statins for cholesterol levels. Extreme temperatures can also contribute to dyspnea. Sometimes, sleep apnea can also cause dyspnea. This is called paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea.  

Complications of Dyspnea: 

Dyspnea could be a sign of different serious health conditions. Some of these are as follows: 

• Hypoxemia and Hypoxia:  Both of these conditions indicate low levels of oxygen in the body. This can disrupt homeostasis. Both of these can cause lightheadedness or diseases. Gradually, this can lead to cognitive impairment. 

• Cardiac Complications: One of the most common symptoms of cardiac complications is dyspnea. Various cardiac conditions like coronary artery disease, cardiomyopathy, heart failure, arrhythmias, and pulmonary hypertension cause dyspnea. 
• Psychological Impact: Dyspnea or shortness of breath can impact one’s quality of life and start affecting a person’s mental health severely. Persistent dyspnea can worsen feelings of dyspnea by contributing to anxiety, panic attacks, and despair.

The Different Dyspnea Treatments Available: 

• One of the best dyspnea treatments is to get yourself used to regularly exercising. This can improve the functioning of your body and increase the efficiency of your heart and lungs. Practice breathing exercises and use relaxation techniques. This can also help relieve anxiety.
• Other than exercise, once the doctor figures out the underlying cause of dyspnea, then relevant medications are recommended for usage.
• Oxygen therapy is also used for dyspnea treatment. In this oxygen is delivered to the patient through a mask and tube to the nose. 
• Psychological support also helps in overcoming dyspnea symptoms. Making changes in one’s lifestyle like smoking cessation, proper nutritious diet and regular exercise, improving one’s environment can all help in treating dyspnea. 

Conclusion: 

Minor, consistent changes can make a massive difference. If you suffer from dyspnea or shortness of breath regularly, it could often be due to a serious underlying condition. The best thing to do is consult your doctor, get diagnosed, and start the treatment as early as possible. In this way, you can manage your symptoms and live a better life. Sometimes, you may not always be able to completely come off free from the symptoms of dyspnea, but early treatment can help control it to an extent.