Dyspnea is also known as shortness of breath, air hunger, difficulty breathing, breathlessness or a feeling of suffocation. Strenuous exercise, extreme temperatures, obesity, and higher altitude can cause dyspnea in a healthy person.
Dyspnea can range from mild to severe. If this condition is chronic and persistent, it may seriously limit activity and reduce patient perceived quality of life. Dyspnea can be a result of lung, heart, vascular, neuromuscular, and metabolic disease.
Patients who are prone to dyspnea may have the following condition/s:
- Anxiety
- Asthma
- Cardiac ischemia
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- Congestive heart failure
- Interstitial lung disease
- Panic disorder
- Pneumonia