Shortness of breath: where it comes from?

Shortness of breath is a completely subjective and sometimes difficult to assess sign. This is normally an automatic act, but when the subject requires a lot of effort to make, then there is a problem.

Breathing is a physiological or mechanical action that allows the body to bring oxygen and carbon dioxide to reject. We're talking about shortness of breath or dyspnea when the subject experiences discomfort when breathing and effort needed to breathe.

Shortness of breath is a sign of a disease or an abnormality in the functioning of the body, involving the transport mechanism and entry of oxygen from the mouth until it reaches the level muscle cells.

Breathlessness is a subjective sign, the description and the sensation varies from one individual to another, but essentially depends on lifestyle, age and terrain. Shortness of breath can easily occur in an older person, it can also be felt in an effort for a person (climbing stairs, for example) but does not necessarily appear in other people for the same effort. Thus, evaluation is sometimes difficult, often requiring the measurement of respiration by pulmonary function tests.

Knowledge of the characteristics of breath allows the physician to guide its further tests and diagnosis.

The seniority of breath essentially allows easy orientation towards research into the causes of acute and chronic diseases.

- Shortness of breath may occur abruptly, it is called acute dyspnea. It is a sign of acute disease and recent onset.

- Shortness of breath can also be chronic and sign the existence of a disease that has evolved from chronic or progressive way, a way of life unsuitable (obesity or lack of exercise) can also cause shortness of breath chronic.

Other parameters on the characteristics of breathlessness must consider:

- The installation mode

- The triggering factors: change of position, stress, ...

- The aggravating factors

- Signs accompanying cough, chest pain, ...

Depending on the clinical and data, the doctor may prescribe the most appropriate investigations, it can be an electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, blood tests, a CT scan or MRI, ...

The causes of breathlessness are grouped according to whether it is a cause of cardiovascular origin or cause of pulmonary or respiratory origin. Other situations or context are not really causes but are, however, factors that trigger or aggravate chest tightness.

Marked obstruction in the respiratory tract can cause difficulty breathing. The disease in question may affect the bronchi, lungs, pleura, ribs.

The heart acts as a pump and ejects the oxygen to the organs of the body blood, he also works at the expense of gas exchanges that occur in the lungs. Any disruption in the transport of oxygenated blood in the cardiovascular system are causing shortness of breath.