What is shortness of breath?

Shortness of breath is best described as not being able to catch your breath or hunger for air. The medical term for this condition is dyspnea (pronounced disp-nee-uh). Shortness of breath is a symptom that can be normal in some situations and life-threatening in others.

Think about a time when you were doing strenuous exercise and felt short of breath. It is normal to have shortness of breath when your body is being stressed with exercise or hard physical work. As your heart beats faster with the exercise, it demands more oxygen resulting in shortness of breath.

Now let’s talk about the times when shortness of breath may be abnormal. Shortness of breath can be caused by several different disease processes including:

While the most common causes of shortness are related to the heart and lungs, there are a few other systems that can also cause this symptom.  Shortness of breath may be caused by neurological, musculoskeletal, endocrine, blood, and psychiatric abnormalities.1  A good example is the shortness of breath that occurs when someone has a panic attack.

Treatment for shortness of breath depends on its cause.  The most important action you should take for shortness of breath is to discuss it with your doctor so it can be diagnosed and treated properly.  It is also helpful to your doctor to have a record of when shortness of breath occurs and what you were doing at the time.

If you or a loved one have shortness of breath that might be asthma or allergy related, you should seek professional medical advice from a Board Certified/Eligible Allergy and Asthma specialist. If you live in the State of Virginia, consider contacting Richmond Allergy and Asthma Specialists at 1-804-285-7420, or schedule an appointment online. Our specialists are Board Certified/Eligible, they accept referrals from other medical professionals, and the practice does have a certified vaccine laboratory onsite.

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