Lack of air during breathing is a pathological condition that can threaten a person’s life. Shortness of breath is considered a symptom of several serious illnesses. An exception in this sense is patients suffering from bronchial asthma, since the lack of air during breathing in them is compensated by the use of inhalers.
The medical name for shortness of breath is dyspnea.
If there is a shortage of air during breathing, there is a violation of the frequency and volume of inhaled air. In medical practice, acute and chronic shortage of air during breathing is distinguished.
This condition is associated with the physical well-being of the patient. So, if someone experiences a shortage of air while breathing even after mild physical exertion, then others never suffer from this condition even after a serious illness of the respiratory tract.
Causes of shortness of breath
– an obstruction in the passage of air through the nose, mouth or throat;
– excessively intense emotions such as anger or aggression;
– diseases of lung and bronchial tissues, for example, pneumonia, bronchitis and bronchial asthma, lung obstruction, increased pulmonary arterial pressure;
– diseases of the cardiovascular system: complications after angina, malfunctions of heart rhythms, heart muscle defects. Lack of air during breathing can cause disorders of the cardiovascular system, due to which the heart muscle is not able to drive blood through the vessels with sufficient speed, respectively, the internal organs are deficient in oxygen.
– allergies;
– blood infection, for example, diabetes and blood infection, a disorder in the ratio of substances in blood serum;
– poor physical condition, lack of exercise;
– overweight and obesity;
– compression of the sternum wall;
– panic attacks and chronic fears;
– hernias;
– change of environmental conditions when the body does not have time to adapt;
– smoking;
Symptoms of shortness of breath
The most basic sign of lack of air during breathing is inhibited communication with the interlocutor. When a person feels that he lacks air, he becomes unable to understand the questions asked. In addition, with a shortage of breath, a person lowers his head, since oxygen deficiency in muscles and tissues affects their condition. Another sign of shortness of breath is the inability to concentrate, as a deficiency of oxygen in the blood negatively affects the functioning of the brain.
Lack of air during breathing is easy to detect when examining a patient. People suffering difficult
breathing, they are similar to those who several times rose and went down the stairs of a nine-story building. They cannot speak in long sentences, try to breathe deeply, compensating for the lack of air.
If a person suffering from difficulty breathing has the following symptoms, then it is necessary to seek help from professional doctors:
– pain and feeling of compression of the chest;
– difficulty breathing even in a resting position;
– the inability to sleep in a prone position, a person can only sleep in a sitting position;
– whistling and wheezing sounds are heard during breathing;
– it’s hard for a person to swallow;
– the throat feels like a foreign object;
– for several days in a row an elevated temperature is kept;
– Allergic breathing difficulties are observed.
Employees of the American State Institute of Health believe that an allergic reaction is the main reason leading to shortness of breath. An allergy can open up on household dust, mold, plants, food.