Your shortness of breath is serious and needs immediate emergency care (call 999/911 or go to A&E) if it's sudden, severe, happens at rest, or comes with chest pain, blue lips/skin, fainting, dizziness, confusion, nausea, or inability to talk. Seek urgent medical advice if it's new, unexplained by exertion, worsens, or is accompanied by fever, wheezing, coughing up blood, leg pain/swelling, or heart palpitations.
Get medical care right away
Severe shortness of breath that comes on suddenly. Shortness of breath with chest pain, fainting, upset stomach, blue lips or nails, or a change in mental alertness. New shortness of breath that starts after not being active for a long time.
Many conditions can cause chronic shortness of breath including:
you have severe difficulty breathing – you're gasping, choking or not able to get words out. your chest feels tight or heavy. you have pain that spreads to your arms, back, neck and jaw. your lips or skin are turning very pale, blue or grey – on brown or black skin, this may be easier to see on the palms of the hands.
Get emergency medical care if you experience shortness of breath that: Began suddenly and affects your ability to function. Is accompanied by chest pain that lasts more than a few minutes. Is accompanied by dizziness, fainting, nausea or vomiting.
lung problems, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or lung cancer. heart problems, such as a heart attack or heart failure. infections of your airways, such as croup, bronchitis, pneumonia, COVID-19, flu or even a cold. a panic attack or anxiety.
Early signs of pneumonia often mimic cold or flu but worsen, including fever, chills, cough (with or without mucus), fatigue, and shortness of breath, sometimes with chest pain, rapid breathing, headache, and loss of appetite, notes Healthdirect, Better Health Channel, American Lung Association, and Mayo Clinic. In older adults, confusion or disorientation can be a key sign, while infants might show restlessness or feeding difficulties, say Healthdirect, Mayo Clinic, and WebMD.
How do I know what's causing my shortness of breath?
Other common viral infections can include bronchiolitis and croup. Bacterial infections – including pneumonia and sepsis can cause breathing problems in children. Asthma – a long-term condition caused by inflammation of the airways in the lungs. Allergies – including hay fever are a common cause of breathing problems.
Shortness of breath is worrying. Listen to your body. Visit an ER right now in the case of blue lips, loss of consciousness, or sharp pain in the chest. For serious issues that aren't emergencies, urgent care works well.
Shortness of breath, or dyspnea, is a common and sometimes alarming symptom that can come from different causes. The most frequent are asthma, allergies, and heart (cardiac) problems. Because these conditions can overlap in symptoms, proper testing is essential for an accurate diagnosis.
Common lung function tests include:
Shortness of breath is most often due to heart or lung conditions. The heart and lungs help move oxygen to your body and get rid of carbon dioxide. Trouble with either of these processes can make breathing hard.
Early signs of heart failure include: Shortness of breath, at first when you're active and later even when you're sitting or lying down. Lowered ability to exercise or be active. Confusion or forgetfulness.
Three early warning signs of heart failure include persistent fatigue/weakness, shortness of breath (especially with activity or lying down), and swelling (edema) in your legs, ankles, and feet, often accompanied by rapid weight gain from fluid buildup, all signaling your heart isn't pumping efficiently enough. Other key indicators are a chronic cough (sometimes with pink mucus) and heart palpitations.
Symptoms of breathlessness can include:
Sometimes it may feel like you're suffocating. Shortness of breath can be a sign of some medical conditions, including asthma, COPD and heart failure, as well as anxiety or panic attacks. The long-term lung effects of smoking may first be noticed as worsening shortness of breath.
After about the age of 35, it is normal for your lung function to decline gradually as you age. This can make breathing slightly more difficult as you get older. If you notice any sudden difficulties in breathing or shortness of breath, talk to your doctor right away.
Which medications can cause shortness of breath?
There are a number of conventional diagnostic tests we may conduct to determine the cause of your shortness of breath. These tests can include: Blood tests: Blood tests will measure your blood oxygen saturation and blood gases. Chest X-rays: A chest X-ray will evaluate your lung condition.
How do you know your lungs are healthy? If your breathing is natural, comes easily and not forced, is steady and makes you feel good, or is so regular you do not notice it at all, your lungs are most likely healthy.
Symptoms can include:
Walking pneumonia symptoms include:
Stages of Pneumonia
Stage 1 congestion. In the first 24 hours of infection, only some bacteria and white blood cells to fight infection are present. The lungs may have increased blood flow and swelling to the airways. Early symptoms are coughing and fatigue.
Signs and symptoms of a chest infection