In heart failure is often the left-hand half of the heart is less able to pump. The oxygen-rich blood around Due to the reduced pumping force the blood flowing from the heart difficult and leads to an increased blood pressure in the left atrium. This higher blood pressure in the left atrium affects the blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the heart, the pulmonary veins. The higher pressure in the pulmonary veins, in turn, results in the pressure also increases in the smallest blood vessels in the lungs, the capillaries around the alveoli. It's like a traffic jam problem, where the traffic on the roundabout leading to traffic on the access roads.
In the alveoli, oxygen is in the blood and carbon dioxide is transferred. But the high blood pressure in the capillaries, the exchange of gases upset, fluid seeps from the blood into the alveoli and lung function deteriorates. The body gets less oxygen and compensates for that by shortness of breath.
How do you know if shortness of breath is abnormal?
Shortness of breath is in most cases absolutely normal. If you've struggled a lot you can get out of breath. There's nothing wrong with that. If you're not trained, you can even get a slight effort of breath. Overweight people often suffer from it.
How do you know if shortness of breath is abnormal? In one case, you know that for sure, because if you're short of breath without you then also have struggled. You in any way For example if you are in the middle of the night with difficulty breathing wakes (nocturnal dyspnea). That is often a symptom of heart failure. On mild exertion (dyspnea on exertion), it is less certain whether your breath is abnormal.
Nocturnal dyspnoea
You is sleeping peacefully and the middle of the night and wake up suddenly. You gasping for breath like a fish out of water. You open the window and go up in bed or on a chair to get more air. The breath is sometimes so intense that you feel you choke. Sometimes you have to cough. If you experience something like that, you have an attack of nocturnal dyspnea. It is wise to go to the doctor because chances are that you have a heart disease or lung disease.
Shortness of breath on exertion
Also shortness of breath on exertion may indicate heart disease. Shortness of breath after exercise may also simply be due to a lack of fitness. Or shortness of breath is abnormal it is best to judge for yourself. It is abnormal if you're usually quite active and suddenly short of breath when you go up the stairs. But it is normal if you are barely active and shortness of breath when climbing stairs. If a doctor thinks you breathlessness caused by heart disease, he will try to estimate. Severity of breathlessness Example, he will ask how long you can (stairs) walk without being short of breath.
Hyperventilation
Shortness of breath can also be caused by hyperventilation, which is usually quite harmless. Hyperventilation is often the result of anxiety or stress, so you're breathing fast or go sighing deeply.
With hyperventilation, you have the feeling that you can not breathe deeply enough, but actually the exchange of gases in the lungs just too intense. The prefix hyper means "too much" because you breathe (or vents) to fast so that the blood in the lungs donates carbon dioxide too quickly. This creates a shortage of carbon dioxide in the blood.
Hyperventilation may be accompanied by tingling, chest pain, and the feeling that you are going to faint. The ratio of blood gases normalize fairly quickly if you're the air that you breathe breathe again, for example by breathing. In a plastic bag Then the inhaled air contains more carbon dioxide so that the carbon dioxide content in the blood comes back to normal.
In the alveoli, oxygen is in the blood and carbon dioxide is transferred. But the high blood pressure in the capillaries, the exchange of gases upset, fluid seeps from the blood into the alveoli and lung function deteriorates. The body gets less oxygen and compensates for that by shortness of breath.
How do you know if shortness of breath is abnormal?
Shortness of breath is in most cases absolutely normal. If you've struggled a lot you can get out of breath. There's nothing wrong with that. If you're not trained, you can even get a slight effort of breath. Overweight people often suffer from it.
How do you know if shortness of breath is abnormal? In one case, you know that for sure, because if you're short of breath without you then also have struggled. You in any way For example if you are in the middle of the night with difficulty breathing wakes (nocturnal dyspnea). That is often a symptom of heart failure. On mild exertion (dyspnea on exertion), it is less certain whether your breath is abnormal.
Nocturnal dyspnoea
You is sleeping peacefully and the middle of the night and wake up suddenly. You gasping for breath like a fish out of water. You open the window and go up in bed or on a chair to get more air. The breath is sometimes so intense that you feel you choke. Sometimes you have to cough. If you experience something like that, you have an attack of nocturnal dyspnea. It is wise to go to the doctor because chances are that you have a heart disease or lung disease.
Shortness of breath on exertion
Also shortness of breath on exertion may indicate heart disease. Shortness of breath after exercise may also simply be due to a lack of fitness. Or shortness of breath is abnormal it is best to judge for yourself. It is abnormal if you're usually quite active and suddenly short of breath when you go up the stairs. But it is normal if you are barely active and shortness of breath when climbing stairs. If a doctor thinks you breathlessness caused by heart disease, he will try to estimate. Severity of breathlessness Example, he will ask how long you can (stairs) walk without being short of breath.
Hyperventilation
Shortness of breath can also be caused by hyperventilation, which is usually quite harmless. Hyperventilation is often the result of anxiety or stress, so you're breathing fast or go sighing deeply.
With hyperventilation, you have the feeling that you can not breathe deeply enough, but actually the exchange of gases in the lungs just too intense. The prefix hyper means "too much" because you breathe (or vents) to fast so that the blood in the lungs donates carbon dioxide too quickly. This creates a shortage of carbon dioxide in the blood.
Hyperventilation may be accompanied by tingling, chest pain, and the feeling that you are going to faint. The ratio of blood gases normalize fairly quickly if you're the air that you breathe breathe again, for example by breathing. In a plastic bag Then the inhaled air contains more carbon dioxide so that the carbon dioxide content in the blood comes back to normal.