breathlessness

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breathlessness

A lack of breathing, detected by a rescuer by looking for chest movements, listening for air escaping during exhalation and feeling for air flow.

breathlessness

Emergency medicine A lack of breathing, detected by a rescuer by looking for chest movements, listening for air escaping during exhalation, and feeling for air flow. See Rescue breathing, Shortness of breath.

breathlessness

An automatic increase in the rate of respiration in response to a reduction in the levels of oxygen, and an increase in the levels of carbon dioxide, in the blood. Undue breathlessness, inappropriate to the degree of exertion, is an important sign of possible HEART FAILURE or of any other condition that leads to inadequate oxygenation of the blood. Breathlessness should be distinguished from hyperventilation which is usually either a response to acute anxiety or a voluntary activity. The medical term for breathlessness is dyspnoea.

Collins Dictionary of Medicine © Robert M. Youngson 2004, 2005

Patient discussion about breathlessness

Q. can one prevent asthma attack from happening from the moment he/she feels breathless???

A. If the patient feels breathless, than it's no longer preventing the attack but rather treating it. Prompt treatment of asthma attacks is very important and achieved mainly with bronchodilators (medications taken through inhalation), mainly short-acting beta agonists. More advanced treatments is usually given by medical professional as deemed needed.

Preventing asthma attacks is achieved through better control of the disease (with drugs such as inhaled steroids) and through avoidance of triggers such as infections of the lung (vaccinations etc.), avoidance of chemical irritants, pet allergens, cold, dry air etc.

You may read more here(www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/asthma.html )
and if you have any questions, you may want to consult your doctor.

Q. Is there a known connection between asthma and cat allergy? I've been with asthma for many years now but usually get several attacks every year and they are caused from being around pine trees or when I'm with a cold- it also affects my breathing. Lately I get serious attacks after being in a house with a cat. I've never knew a cat allergy- I used to pat many and never got breathing difficulties as a result of a touch with them and lately it happends every time. Are cat a known asthma cause? can I do anything to prevent that?Can I maybe overcome it by being next to cats more often and getting myself used to it?

A. you may be becoming more sensitive to cats an other things--there are drugs on the market that you take everyday to control asthma/allergies--that can prevent you from even having an attack--i am a retired respriratory therpist/emt so i dont no about natural/chinese medicines---i will tell you this asthma can kill --donot try to treat yourself--i dont no what kind of dr you have but--go to a pulmonary DR. with asthma you have to take your meds everyday because skipping can cause you to be come more sensitive to allergens an can cause you to go into a bad attack---mrfoot56--feel better.

More discussions about breathlessness

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References in periodicals archive ?

The clinical studies undertaken by Palliative Care Clinical Studies Collaborative (PaCCSC), under Professor David Currow, have shown the use of KAPANOL in severe chronic breathlessness can reduce this debilitating symptom in patients with advanced disease.

Mayne Pharma announces PBS listing of Kapanol for chronic breathlessness

Dr Penny Woods, chief executive of the BLF, said too many people were experiencing breathlessness and not seeking medical advice.

Millions of people living with undiagnosed lung conditions

Women with complex congenital defects, with or without surgical repair and/or residual defects, should be managed in tertiary care centers under a multidisciplinary team of physicians experienced in adult congenital heart disease and high risk obstetrics, who collaboratively participate in pregnancy planning, management and care through childbirth and postpartum.2 An international study reported successful pregnancy with Ebstein anomaly, they reported the only complication in their setting was breathlessness. They delivered the baby at 30 weeks of gestation through Caesarean section.3 Similarly in our study pregnancy was uneventful except for breathlessness and baby was delivered through Caesarean section at 36 weeks of gestation.

Successful pregnancy in a patient with Ebstein's anomaly; a case report from a developing country

Aerosure is a registered medical device intended to help reduce breathlessness in people with COPD.

Huffing & puffing or feeling out of breath

Lung and/or heart function tests should be able to pinpoint what's causing your breathlessness, and you also may need a chest X-ray.

Is that symptom a sign of something serious? You shouldn't panic about every health niggle--but some may need medical attention

"We're also urging people not to ignore unusual breathlessness - its main symptom."

My husband died from a disease with no cure and no known cause. We have to find out more; widow tells of husband's last years

It is a clinical challenge to differentiate benign breathlessness of pregnancy from more serious causes of the shortness of breath in pregnancy such as asthma, pulmonary embolism, and cardiomyopathy.

A study of breathlessness in pregnant females in a rural setup

SLURRED speech or confusion EXTREME shivering or muscle pain PASSING no urine all day SEVERE breathlessness A FEELING of doom or that you might die SKIN | that's mottled, bluish or very pale die THESE symptoms won't always indicate sepsis, but the UK Sepsis Trust advises that if you have, or recently had, a fever or an illness that's felt like a nasty cold/flu or a tummy bug and you develop any of these things, seek medical help urgently - phone 999 and say you're worried you have sepsis.

SIX SYMPTOMS TO KEEP ON YOUR RADAR AR

| SLURRED speech or confusion | | | EXTREME shivering or muscle pain | PASSING no urine all day | SEVERE breathlessness | A| | A FEELING of doom or that you might die | SKIN that's mottled, bluish or very pale THESE symptoms won't always indicate sepsis, but the UK Sepsis Trust advises that if you have, or recently had, a fever or an illness that's felt like a nasty cold/flu or a tummy bug and you develop any of these things, seek medical help urgently - phone 999 and say you're worried you have sepsis.

SIX SYMPTOMS TO KEEP ON YOUR RADAR

Robert 'Bob' Chetwynd, from Nuneaton, began suffering with breathlessness in May last year.

Plea to colleagues after Bob falls ill

We tend to feel dizzy and even experience breathlessness the moment we enter the basement car park from the mall.

A great help

At the age of eight, the boy presented with cough and acute onset breathlessness. On examination, he had blood pressure (BP) of 90/60mmHg, heart rate (HR) 105/min, raised jugular venous pressure (JVP), crackles over the lung bases and a pansystolic murmur at the apex.

Familial dilated cardiomyopathy linked with hearing loss in brothers: case report

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