Do You Know About Shortness of Breath

It is a common symptom affecting millions of people and may be the primary manifestation of respiratory, cardiac, neuromuscular, systemic psychogenic disease or a combination of these. Shortness of breath or what is called dyspnea is a subjective sensation of discomfort in breathing which consists of various sensations with varying intensities.

Shortness of breath is a symptom of disease, not the disease itself, which patients often try to describe when they suffer from symptoms that arise in their body. It can be acute or chronic, acute occurs over hours to days while chronic conditions last over 4 to 8 weeks.

COMMON CAUSES

a. BREATHING

Which often occurs due to smoke, acute exacerbation or chronic congestive obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD), asthma, pneumonia, pulmonary embolism, lung malignancy, pneumothorax or pulmonary aspiration.

b. CARDIOVASCULAR

Usually due to congestive heart failure, pulmonary edema, acute coronary syndrome, pericardial tamponade, heart valve abnormalities, pulmonary hypertension, cardiac arrhythmias.

c. NEUROMUSCULAR

It can be due to chest trauma with fractures or flail chest, massive obesity, kyphoscoliosis, dysfunction of the central nervous system (CNS) or spinal cord, myopathy and neuropathy.

d. PSYCHOGENIC

Such as hyperventilation syndrome, psychogenic dyspnea, vocal cord dysfunction syndrome and foreign body aspiration.

e. OTHER SYSTEMICS

Including anemia, acute renal failure, metabolic acidosis, thyrotoxicosis, liver cirrhosis, anaphylaxis, sepsis, angioedema and epiglottitis.

Tips when symptoms of shortness of breath occur

1. Do not panic. If acute shortness of breath occurs, immediately take the sufferer to the nearest hospital emergency room to get immediate help.
2. Prepare shortness of breath medication given by the doctor and store it in a location that is easy to reach when symptoms of shortness of breath appear, for example, keep it in a bag that is usually used and carried at all times or in a desk drawer at home that is easy to reach and known to members of the house.
3. Take heart, lung or other medications regularly to reduce the risk of shortness of breath symptoms recurring or progressing to complications.
4. If you suffer from a long-standing respiratory/heart disease, provide an oxygen cylinder at home so that it can be used at any time when shortness of breath recurs

How to Prevent Recurrence of Shortness of Breath

To prevent shortness of breath from recurring, there are several things you can do, including:

• Avoid smoke / pollution by using a mask
• Quit smoking
• Consume healthy and nutritious food
• Stress management well
• Exercise regularly
• Take medication regularly for any chronic diseases you have

If you have complaints of shortness of breath or other illnesses that can cause shortness of breath, immediately consult your doctor via telemedicine or come to the nearest health facility.