When you're short of breath, it's hard or uncomfortable for you to take in the oxygen your body needs. You may feel as if you're not getting enough air. Sometimes mild breathing problems are from a stuffy nose or hard exercise. But shortness of breath can also be a sign of a serious disease.
Many conditions can make you feel short of breath. Lung conditions such as asthma, emphysema or pneumonia cause breathing difficulties. Heart disease can make you feel breathless if your heart cannot pump enough blood to supply oxygen to your body. Stress caused by anxiety can also make it hard for you to breathe. If you often have trouble breathing, it is important to find out the cause.
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Breathing Problems: Shortness of Breath(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/articles/835.printerview.html
Also available in Spanish http://familydoctor.org/online/famdoces/home/articles/835.printerview.html
- Shortness of Breath(American College of Chest Physicians) - Links to PDF - http://www.chestnet.org/downloads/patients/guides/ShortnessofBreath.pdf
- Assisted Breathing Eases Lung Symptoms for Heart Patients(07/09/2008, HealthDay) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/news/fullstory_66770.html
- Blood Gases Test(American Association for Clinical Chemistry) - http://www.labtestsonline.org/understanding/analytes/blood_gases/test.html
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Bronchoscopy
(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/bronchoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/bronchoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm - Fiberoptic Bronchoscopy(American Thoracic Society) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.thoracic.org/sections/education/patient-education/patient-education-materials/patient-information-series/fiberoptic-bronchoscopy.html
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Lung Function Tests
(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/lft/lft_whatare.html
- Shortness of Breath(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/tools/symptom/521.printerview.html
- Shortness of Breath in a Child or Infant(American Academy of Family Physicians) - http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/tools/symptom/522.printerview.html
- Spirometry(National Lung Health Education Program) - http://www.nlhep.org/spirom1.html
- Patient Instructions for Inhaled Devices(American College of Chest Physicians) - Links to PDF - http://www.chestnet.org/patients/guides/inhaledDevices.php
- Breathing Techniques(National Jewish Health) - http://www.nationaljewish.org/disease-info/wellness/breathing.aspx
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Bronchiectasis(National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute) - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/brn/brn_whatis.html
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Bronchoscopy(Patient Education Institute) - Requires Flash Player - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/bronchoscopy/htm/index.htm
Also available in Spanish http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/spanish/tutorials/bronchoscopyspanish/htm/index.htm
- Atlas of the Body: The Respiratory System -- Structure Detail(American Medical Association) - http://www.medem.com/MedLB/article_detaillb.cfm?article_ID=ZZZ8PPLCGJC&sub_cat=285
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ClinicalTrials.gov: Dyspnea(National Institutes of Health) - http://clinicaltrials.gov/search/open/condition=%22Dyspnea%22
References and abstracts from MEDLINE/PubMed (National Library of Medicine)
- Article: Furosemide inhalation in dyspnea of mustard gas-exposed patients: a triple-blind... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18645727&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Design and rationale of the URGENT Dyspnea study: an international,... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18645329&tool=MedlinePlus
- Article: Inflammatory markers, amino-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide, and mortality risk in... - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&dopt=AbstractPlus&list_uids=18628102&tool=MedlinePlus
- Breathing Problems -- see more articles - http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/entrez?cmd=search&db=pubmed&term=dyspnea[majr]+AND+humans[mh]+AND+english[la]+NOT+(letter[pt]+OR+editorial[pt]+OR+case+reports[pt])&doptcmdl=summary&cmd_current=Limits&pmfilter_EDatLimit=last+1+Year&tool=MedlinePlus
- Glossary (Lungs)(American Lung Association) - http://www.lungusa.org/site/pp.asp?c=dvLUK9O0E&b=40415
- American Lung Association - http://www.lungusa.org/
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National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
- Breath-Holding Spells(Merck & Co., Inc.) - http://www.merck.com/mmhe/sec23/ch269/ch269g.html
- Healthy Living: Helping Your Child Breathe Easier(American Association for Respiratory Care) - http://www.yourlunghealth.org/healthy_living/young/breathe/
- Transient Tachypnea of the Newborn (TTN)(Nemours Foundation) - http://kidshealth.org/parent/medical/lungs/ttn.html
- Breathing Problems(AGS Foundation for Health in Aging) - http://www.healthinaging.org/agingintheknow/chapters_ch_trial.asp?ch=45
- Asthma - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/asthma.html
- COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/copdchronicobstructivepulmonarydisease.html
- Heart Failure - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/heartfailure.html
- Lung Diseases - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lungdiseases.html
- Sleep Apnea - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/sleepapnea.html
- Lungs and Breathing - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/lungsandbreathing.html
- Symptoms - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/symptoms.html
The primary NIH organization for research on Breathing Problems is the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute - http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/
Breathing Problems - Multiple Languages - http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/languages/breathingproblems.html