Who needs to grab for small efforts after air, should not be dismissed as unimportant. Sometimes a slight shortness of breath, although harmless causes, often it is an alarm signal of a dangerous heart and lung diseases.
- Many breathe incorrectly – are therefore not only short of breath, but risk of diseases such as high blood pressure.
- Because of shortness of breath usually creeps up slowly, many of those Affected by this alarm signal is not serious.
- The gasping for air is typical for heart failure and COPD.
The pants already, when he only needs to climb ten steps up, the other jumps three floors to the top, without that, his rate of breathing increasing noticeably. Clearly, the second one is the better condition. This is because our respiratory performance depends on how well heart and lung work.
Obese need to breath faster than Slim
In Untrained, the body tries to pump with short breaths more air in the lungs and thus more oxygen to create more power when climbing stairs. Incidentally, this is also the explanation that Obese and women need to grab at the end of the pregnancy, often after the air.
As is normal, by the way, adults 12 to 20 breaths per Minute, what about an increased respiratory rate (tachypnea), sometimes associated with shortness of breath, medically dyspnea. You can easily measure the seconds counter and every Inhale within a Minute.
Wrong Breathing and condition a lack of take your breath away and make sick in the long run
In addition to Overweight and lack of condition is also incorrect Breathing is a rather harmless, but harmful to the cause of the rapid out of breath. Many breathe only into the chest cavity and not in the stomach, other to a draw when Inhaling automatically the abdomen, instead of letting loose, or breathe with effort instead of all examples of faulty breathing.
Who continues for decades his body due to incorrect Breathing under constant stress, you must anticipate dangerous consequences, such as cardiovascular diseases.
Shortness of breath as a sign of serious diseases
In addition, slight shortness of breath is one of the most common symptoms that approximately 20 of 100,000 Germans suffer. Many take these complaints seriously, and because of the shortness of breath often begins insidiously, and the individual is accustomed to speak slowly. This is often a sign of alarm for dangerous diseases, such as the lungs and bronchi.
Breathless due to COPD
With the most common cause for the gradual loss of the respiratory capacity in obstructive Bronchitis/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is Chronic. Nearly seven million people are affected in Germany. COPD costs around seven years of life! Untreated pulmonary cases (pulmonary emphysema), and congestive heart failure is threatening. Typical Symptom in addition to shortness of breath: tightness of the chest during Inhalation.
In addition to COPD may be the gasping for breath is also a Symptom of Asthma. It is difficult, in contrast to COPD, Asthma is the Exhale. Ultimately, however, the shortness of breath can also be the first signs of life-threatening lung diseases such as lung cancer and pulmonary fibrosis.
Overall, this lung disease take. Although here especially smokers are the Victims, it is also true more and more often non-smokers. Blame it on pollutants in the air.
Often it is located on heart of weakness
The context, shortness of breath, and sick lung. However, what many do not know: The respiratory problems can be at least as often caused by heart disease. These are mainly:
- Heart failure ( congestive heart failure), heart valve defects and cardiac arrhythmias – and then creates it is the heart not enough blood and thus oxygen into the body to pump, and the respiratory rate increases to get more oxygen.
- Inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis), for instance after a cold, then shortness of breath is often the first signs of the cold or flu virus, the heart attack.
- High blood pressure – slight shortness of breath is often an early symptom of hypertension, because the high pressure in the vessels of the entire body under Stress, also the respiratory frequency.
Shortness of breath always let the doctor clarify
Basically, you shouldn’t let respiratory problems ignored. You can definitely go to your GP. With two simple tests, he can check whether the heart and lungs to work properly:
- Pulmonary function testing (in – and outlet capacity measure)
- Exercise ECG (cardiac output under physical stress)
If there is evidence of serious diseases, you can be sure – the sooner a specific treatment uses, the greater is the Chance that the symptoms will go back again – or at least not get worse
When you are in respiratory distress do not hesitate to
A case for the emergency physician, however, is a sudden onset of shortness of breath. This is always an alarm signal can be by a heart attack triggered a rapid and massive deterioration of COPD (acute exacerbation), or a life-threatening pulmonary embolism. Then a blood clot has blocked a pulmonary artery.