Shortness of breath or asthma?
I plan on going to the doctor soon for a diagnosis, but I would like to get some ideas or information here that I could use. I repeatedly suffer from shortness of breath, but I've never been diagnosed with asthma. My breathing problems over the past 2 years seem to have gotten worse; I nearly feel like I am going to shaky sometimes, and I feel oxygen-deprived when I wake up(it may also have sleep apnea, do asthmatic also suffer from sleep apnea?). Luckily I can exercise, my breathing problems from time to time seem to be caused by exercise although over-exertion would probably cause me to woozy. I used to run regularly until a few years ago.
It often seems that if I am indoors, especially in a crowded place, I don't breath as proficiently as others so I start becoming light-headed, and I can't think clearly and my speech becomes slurred. If I step outside, my breathing improves. This have been getting worse for a couple of years. I'm a male, 29 and in nonspecific good health who never smokes or drinks, and my city is moderately polluted. I have no diseases or conditions and I'm not on medication for anything. I come from an ethnic group that have a very high rate of asthma. So what is the difference between what I've described, frequent shortness of breath episodes, low oxygen levels and asthma? Thanks.
Answers:
Your shortness of breath could be caused by a variety of things, although pulmonary or cardiac etiologies would be the most adjectives.
Asthma has specific diagnostic criteria, and your physician will do what is necessary to either rule contained by or rule out that diagnosis. You could be having an arrhythmia, or have some other underlying pulmonary condition.
I hope the diagnosis is an easy one to manufacture, and that you find effective treatment. Source(s): versantly must not come here often, there are several docs who chime contained by regularly :)
lol!! this is Yahoo -there are NO doctors here.
Asthma be my special interest for some 20+ years in general practice,and I have to say aloud I got no immediate feel that this be your problem. Most asthmatics of course do not get hypoxic (short of oxygen) except in the throws of an acute attack anyway.
The great majority of asthmatic adults were more severe asthmatics in childhood. Typical symptoms,cough,wheeze,mucous production, exertional symptoms,prolonged irritability with colds and nocturnal cough,more adjectives than nocturnal breathlessness really don't fit with your story at all. None of your symptoms have a cardiac flavour any I am afraid.
Though I would not be foolish enough to confirm or deny a diagnosis without interrogating,examining and investigating a patient,it must also be remembered that it have been suggested that good GPs make a correct diagnosis contained by 70% of patients based on history alone,even before they stand up to examine.
Based solely on the history given in your grill I might be tempted to suggest that your symptoms have a psychological rather than a physical justification. However I applaud your plan to contact a doctor for confirmation of diagnosis. Source(s): GP for more years than I care to remember
When you said, "It often seems that if I am indoors, especially in a crowded place, I don't breath as closely as others so I start becoming light-headed" my first thought it that you might be having a panic/anxiety attack and hyperventilating but the situation is less than clear, it could be that you are having hysterics attacks or other lung/cardiac issues.- although from your description this seems unlikely as you are not breathless upon exercise.
See your GP he will do a pulmonary function test and take it from in attendance. When diagnosing/excluding Asthma; presence of more than one relevant symptom (wheeze, breathlessness, chest tightness and cough) are generally used to determine, particularly where these are:
worse at darkness and early morning
triggered by exercise, allergen or cold air
aspirin or beta blocker reaction.
a personal or family circle history of atopy
widespread wheeze on chest examination
otherwise unexplained low FEV1 or PEF Source(s): Cardiac Nurse
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It often seems that if I am indoors, especially in a crowded place, I don't breath as proficiently as others so I start becoming light-headed, and I can't think clearly and my speech becomes slurred. If I step outside, my breathing improves. This have been getting worse for a couple of years. I'm a male, 29 and in nonspecific good health who never smokes or drinks, and my city is moderately polluted. I have no diseases or conditions and I'm not on medication for anything. I come from an ethnic group that have a very high rate of asthma. So what is the difference between what I've described, frequent shortness of breath episodes, low oxygen levels and asthma? Thanks.
Answers:
Your shortness of breath could be caused by a variety of things, although pulmonary or cardiac etiologies would be the most adjectives.
Asthma has specific diagnostic criteria, and your physician will do what is necessary to either rule contained by or rule out that diagnosis. You could be having an arrhythmia, or have some other underlying pulmonary condition.
I hope the diagnosis is an easy one to manufacture, and that you find effective treatment. Source(s): versantly must not come here often, there are several docs who chime contained by regularly :)
lol!! this is Yahoo -there are NO doctors here.
Asthma be my special interest for some 20+ years in general practice,and I have to say aloud I got no immediate feel that this be your problem. Most asthmatics of course do not get hypoxic (short of oxygen) except in the throws of an acute attack anyway.
The great majority of asthmatic adults were more severe asthmatics in childhood. Typical symptoms,cough,wheeze,mucous production, exertional symptoms,prolonged irritability with colds and nocturnal cough,more adjectives than nocturnal breathlessness really don't fit with your story at all. None of your symptoms have a cardiac flavour any I am afraid.
Though I would not be foolish enough to confirm or deny a diagnosis without interrogating,examining and investigating a patient,it must also be remembered that it have been suggested that good GPs make a correct diagnosis contained by 70% of patients based on history alone,even before they stand up to examine.
Based solely on the history given in your grill I might be tempted to suggest that your symptoms have a psychological rather than a physical justification. However I applaud your plan to contact a doctor for confirmation of diagnosis. Source(s): GP for more years than I care to remember
When you said, "It often seems that if I am indoors, especially in a crowded place, I don't breath as closely as others so I start becoming light-headed" my first thought it that you might be having a panic/anxiety attack and hyperventilating but the situation is less than clear, it could be that you are having hysterics attacks or other lung/cardiac issues.- although from your description this seems unlikely as you are not breathless upon exercise.
See your GP he will do a pulmonary function test and take it from in attendance. When diagnosing/excluding Asthma; presence of more than one relevant symptom (wheeze, breathlessness, chest tightness and cough) are generally used to determine, particularly where these are:
worse at darkness and early morning
triggered by exercise, allergen or cold air
aspirin or beta blocker reaction.
a personal or family circle history of atopy
widespread wheeze on chest examination
otherwise unexplained low FEV1 or PEF Source(s): Cardiac Nurse
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