Breathlessness

Question 1

What is breathlessness?

Answer 1

Dyspnoea.

• A highly subjective, uncomfortable or distressing sensation that occurs when actual ventilation is perceived not to satisfy demand.

Question 2

What are the (3) different types of breathlessness?

Answer 2

• Acute
• Subacute
• Chronic

Question 3

How quickly does acute breathlessness occur?

Answer 3

Suddenly/within minutes.

Question 4

How quickly does subacute breathlessness occur?

Answer 4

Over hours/days.

Question 5

How quickly does chronic breathlessness occur?

Answer 5

Over weeks/months.

Question 6

What does breathlessness feel like?

Answer 6

• Feeling unable to breath
• Cannot get your words out
• Chest feeling tight/heavy
• Can’t get enough air in
• Feel anxious
• Feel scared

Question 7

What causes acute breathlessness?

Answer 7

• Acute asthma/COPD/bronchiectasis exacerbation.
• Pleural effusion.
• Pneumothorax.
• Pulmonary embolism.
• Foreign body in the upper airway (e.g. penny, lego block) – known as stridor.
• Pneumonia.
• Acute deterioration of cardiac failure.
• Hyperventilation.
• Neuromuscular disease (e.g. Guillan-Barré syndrome).
• Sudden onset cardiac arrhythmia.
• Cardiac tamponade.

Question 8

What causes chronic breathlessness?

Answer 8

• Chronic respiratory disease (e.g. cystic fibrosis, COPD).
• Anxiety.
• Congenital heart disease.
• Cardiac arrhythmia.
• Ischaemic heart disease.
• Anaemia.
• Chest wall deformity.
• Obesity.
• Diaphragmatic splinting (e.g. in pregnancy, ascites).
• Hypoventilation (e.g. motor neurone disease).

Question 9

What happens to your respiratory rate when you feel breathless & what can this lead to?

Answer 9

• When breathless you tend to speed up your breathing in a panic to get more air in.
• This can lead to gas trapping as the exhalation breath is not long enough to allow air out.