FIRST AID

Shortness of Breath

There are few worse feelings than shortness of breath. Severe shortness of breath is a life-threatening emergency.

Causes

here are two parts to breathing:

1. Moving air in and out of the lungs

2. Moving oxygen and carbon dioxide back and forth between the bloodstream and the lungs


Blocking either of these functions can result in feeling short of breath. Shortness of breath also comes from a sudden demand for oxygen in the body due to exercise or stress. High school coaches are rather fond of running "wind sprints" until players are gasping for air, unable to talk. In fact, feeling "winded" is another way to say short of breath.

Anything that interferes with breathing leads to too little oxygen and too much carbon dioxide in the blood. The body needs some of each of these gases in our blood to function properly, but levels need to be kept in balance. There's quite a bit of extra oxygen in the blood, so a short-term lack of oxygen isn't that big of a deal. (We need that emergency reserve in case a bear decides to chase us through the cul de sac, or we have to teach a teenager how to drive.)


Carbon dioxide, on the other hand, builds up pretty fast, and we need to get rid of it in a timely manner. In fact, it's the accumulation of carbon dioxide that makes you feel like you desperately need to inhale when you hold your breath.

The best way to fix shortness of breath is to figure out what's causing it. Things that interfere with moving air in and out of the lungs are:

Types of shortenig breath

Choking

The blocking of an airway due to a foreign object lodged in the throat or windpipe. Choking victims who cannot speak or cough need to have the object removed immediately so they can breathe.

Asthma

Asthma is a medical condition that causes narrowing of the small airways in the lungs. Typically, asthma patients develop wheezing and have increased mucous production in their lungs. Asthma patients can have episodes of increased shortness of breath, often triggered by allergic reactions. Asthma sufferers often have the disease for many years, and the episodes of shortness of breath can be life-threatening.

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)

A disease characterised by an inability to normally move air in and out of the lungs. Unlike in patients with asthma, airflow limitation in patients with COPD is not fully reversible. Tobacco smoking is the main risk factor for COPD.

The diagnosis of COPD should be considered in any person with chronic breathing difficulty and one or more of the following:

* long-lasting cough
* phlegm production
* shortness of breath

Collapsed Lung

A condition that causes the lining of the lung to pull away from the wall of the chest. The space between the lung and the chest fills with air, pushing the injured lung against the heart and the other lung.

Collapsed lung can occur as a result of chest injury, or spontaneously in patients with lung disease.