There are many causes for acute and chronic Difficulty breathing. The treatment of this symptom basically belongs in the hands of a doctor. Difficulty breathing can occur suddenly or permanently.
What are breathing difficulties?
A wide variety of disorders in the area of the oral cavity, the larynx and the windpipe are called breathing difficulties. These disorders can have physical or emotional causes.
The symptoms of obstruction to breathing can occur in children and adults. When inhaling, the body is permanently supplied with vital oxygen by enriching the human blood with it via the lungs.
On the other hand, when you exhale, the body discards waste materials, especially carbon dioxide. Both processes are vital for the function of all organs and cells. If the body is not adequately supplied with oxygen, there is a risk of health deficits.
causes
The reasons for breathing difficulties are very diverse. Even a cold or the flu can impair breathing. Swelling on the nasal mucous membranes or inflammation in the pharynx and tonsils make it difficult to breathe freely. If these bacterial or viral infections are left untreated, the infection can spread to the lungs.
The consequences are serious illnesses such as bronchitis or even pneumonia. Another common reason for breathing difficulties is chronic bronchial asthma, which is an allergic disease. Children can suffer from the dangerous croup cough, which can cause acute shortness of breath.
Certain diseases of the heart, as they affect the lungs, can also cause breathing difficulties. Heart failure leads to a chronic lack of oxygen, which makes patients gasp for air.
Another cause of shortness of breath is swallowing foreign objects or burning the airways. Mental causes can result in breathing difficulties such as hyperventilating.
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➔ Medication for shortness of breath and lung problemsDiseases with this symptom
- cold
- flu
- bronchitis
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Acidosis (acidosis)
- Pulmonary embolism
- lung infection
- bronchial asthma
- Fear of heights
- claustrophobia
- Dental phobia
- Insect venom allergy
- allergy
- Angina pectoris
- Anxiety disorder
- Panic attacks
- Blood poisoning
Diagnosis & course
Colds are usually easy for the doctor to diagnose. The patient has a reddened throat, swollen tonsils, sneezes and runny nose. He has trouble breathing and often has a fever and headache. The doctor will illuminate your throat and sinuses and take a look inside your ears. Then he will listen to the lungs with the stethoscope.
Allergic asthma is a chronic disease and the doctor will order an allergy test and a pulmonary function test. The pediatrician recognizes croup by the barking cough and shortness of breath.
The doctor recognizes the breathing difficulties of the heart patient through various examinations such as the electrocardiogram. But sometimes he can make the diagnosis during the physical examination, as all patients with heart failure have a bluish complexion.
For example, if children have swallowed foreign bodies or chemical substances corroded their airways, the diagnosis must be made very quickly and on suspicion.
Complications
As a complication of untreated breathing difficulties, there is a risk of impaired lung activity.
The task of the lungs is to take in oxygen-poor blood and to release oxygen-rich blood into the body's circulation. If a person's breathing is disturbed, the lungs cannot work effectively. As a result, not enough oxygen reaches the cells of the organs. If left untreated, this undersupply leads to sleep disorders, daytime sleepiness, headaches and damage to the internal organs.
The body has to use more energy than intended to breathe, which can lead to weight loss. There is a limitation of physical and psychological resilience. The cardiovascular system is excessively stressed. The increased work of the heart creates the risk of overloading this organ.
The smallest blood vessels - the capillaries - are not adequately supplied with oxygen and atrophy. The result is sensitivity disorders e.g. on fingers and toes as well as poorly healing wounds. If the smallest blood vessels in the brain die, a stroke threatens. Chronic lung damage can occur as a result of dyspnea, which further exacerbates shortness of breath.
Untreated breathing difficulties can cause the lungs to over-inflate. This creates dead spaces - irreparable damage - in the organ, and the lung tissue dies. This leads to an increasing reduction in lung volume. In the worst case, untreated dyspnea can lead to cardiovascular breakdown and death from suffocation.
When should you go to the doctor?
Breathing problems that persist for several days or worsen within a relatively short period of time should always be clarified by a doctor. This is especially true if there are pre-existing diseases of the lungs or the cardiovascular system or the symptoms are accompanied by accompanying symptoms.
Fever and headache indicate a serious underlying illness or allergy - a doctor's visit is urgently required and should be done quickly due to the rapid progression of many lung diseases. If dizziness and feelings of lightheadedness are added, there may already be a lack of oxygen. In this case, an emergency doctor should be alerted as soon as possible. In the event of unconsciousness, sudden pain in the lungs or chest area and feelings of suffocation, action must also be taken quickly.
The patient may have a serious illness, such as untreated pneumonia, which, if left untreated, could result in death. If breathing difficulties are treated inadequately or too late, the lungs can become over-inflated. Cavities form within the lung tissue and lead to tissue death and, in extreme cases, organ failure.
Problems with breathing should therefore generally be clarified by a doctor. Especially when the cause is not known, the symptoms lead to a rapid deterioration in the state of health or the body is already weakened by a previous illness.
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Treatment & Therapy
Difficulty breathing is a symptom and the doctor needs to find out the cause before treatment. Home remedies such as teas, mint extracts or homeopathic medicines can often help with the common cold. Doctors often treat more severe flu with antibiotics to prevent the bacteria from spreading to the bronchi or lungs.
For acute bronchitis or pneumonia, treatment is often given in the hospital, as these could be life-threatening. The most feared complication of pneumonia is pleural effusion. Parts of the lungs fill with infectious fluid. The patient is treated with antibiotics, oxygenation, and infusions. In severe cases, the lungs must be punctured or operated on.
Heart failure requires complex drug treatment or surgery. Many of the patients are waiting for a donor heart for a transplant.
If foreign bodies are swallowed, the parents have to provide first aid to prevent the child from suffocating. Poisoning and chemical burns belong immediately into the hands of a doctor.
Outlook & forecast
Difficulty breathing (dyspnoea) is often a sign of serious illness. They sometimes cause panic and pain. Therefore diagnosis as early as possible is necessary. It should be accompanied by an emergency management. An accurate diagnosis of dyspnea depends on the type and severity of the underlying disease.
Massive dyspnea exposes the organism to a pronounced lack of oxygen. This deficiency can cause organ damage and other serious consequences.
Less severe breathing problems are often associated with inflammation. They must be clarified before threatening conditions arise. After extensive elimination of the underlying disease, the breathing problems disappear. If chronic underlying diseases occur, the breathing difficulties must continue to develop.
If the breathing problems set in during sleep, it could be triggered by difficult breathing or respiratory failure. Breathing pauses can become life-threatening over long periods of time, so medical treatment is essential. If breathing is difficult, both the oxygen supply and the individual sleeping position should be checked. In this way, breathing difficulties can ideally be eliminated.
Because breathing difficulties lead to an insufficient supply of the organism with essential oxygen, the heart and lungs can be damaged if left untreated.As a result, muscle problems and psychogenic illnesses such as panic attacks and / or anxiety can occur.
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➔ Medication for shortness of breath and lung problemsprevention
Vitamins and staying in the fresh air reduce the risk of colds and you can get vaccinated against flu. Smoking causes lasting damage to the airways. Small children are never left unattended and cleaning agents and other chemicals are always kept under lock and key.
You can do that yourself
Mild breathing difficulties can be treated with various home remedies and personal measures. First of all, drinking helps to relieve the initial shortness of breath and to clear the pharynx of mucus and possible foreign bodies. Tea made from mint leaves, lemon balm, goose fiddle or lavender is particularly effective and clears the airways at least for a short time. Chamomile steam baths, which moisturize the mucous membranes and relax the bronchi, are similarly effective.
Alternatively, sufferers can use nasal showers or cough removers, among other things, to relieve breathing difficulties. A moist, warm compress relaxes the respiratory muscles and, like steam baths, is especially effective for asthma and similar respiratory diseases. Furthermore, a healthy lifestyle can help to strengthen the airways and the immune system and avoid shortness of breath in the future. In the case of severe breathing difficulties, breathing should be relaxed by slow, controlled breathing.
Those affected with shortness of breath should move into the goalkeeper or coachman position in order to guarantee an optimal oxygen supply to the airways. If this does not alleviate the symptoms and if there is intense breathlessness, an emergency doctor should be alerted. A visit to the doctor is also recommended if you have regular breathing problems, which you can only partially alleviate with home remedies and personal measures.
