Tuesday 4 October 2016

Shortness of Breath Symptoms and Treatment in Huntington Beach

It is common to experience shortness of breath when you exert to an extent. However it is also important to mention here, if you frequently suffer from short of breath then it is significant to talk to a doctor and seek medical attention. Let us take a look at the basic first aid for shortness of Breath Treatment.

Breathlessness, difficulty in breathing or more precisely shortness of breath is certainly an uncomfortable sensation. ‘Dysponea’ as it has been medically termed; breathlessness is undeniably a medical concern. Victim may feel winded or feel puffed and in certain cases breathing may even hurt.

Yes, it is common to experience shortness of breath when you exert to an extent. However it is also important to mention here, if you frequently suffer from breathlessness then it is significant to talk to a doctor and seek medical attention. Yes, frequent breathlessness may have some unidentified underlying serious medical conditions.

Before delving any further about the causes of breathing difficulty, let us understand breathlessness in detail

What’s ‘shortness of breath’ anyway?

Medically speaking; this is a particular condition when you may find it difficult to breathe. It may happen suddenly or even can develop slowly over the time. The scientific reason for shortness of breath is simple – your body needs some more amount of oxygen and that’s why you are compelled to breathe faster.

Who can experience shortness of breath or breathlessness?


Sudden breathlessness is one of the leading causes of rushing to the emergency room. It is however common to feel short of breath when exercising or exerted.  However serious and severe breathlessness, which occurs suddenly is a medical concern and in most of the cases stand as a staggering symptom of heart and lung diseases.

What are the causes of breathlessness?

Short term, acute and severe breathlessness may occur if you are suffering from asthma, pneumonia or suffering from COPD medically known as “Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease”.  Also, certain heart diseases or clot in the lung, acute anxiety and even anemia may often cause breathlessness.

Let us now take a look at the basic first aid for shortness of Breath Treatment in Huntington Beach

There is no one size all approach when it comes to the point of treating breathlessness. This is because treatment mostly depends on the cause of the discomfort. Although some cases can be managed by the General Physicians however it is always recommended to visit a cardiologist if you experience breathlessness frequently.

First – Aid Steps for treating breathlessness

As already briefed patients need to visit a cardiologist or a lung specialist (depending on the cause of breathlessness) however there are certain first aid steps, which you can follow for treating breathlessness in certain emergency situation, until you are able to admit the patient to the hospital.

Let the patient rest: Yes, you should do your level best to let the victim rest. The logic is simple here, more the victim exerts, more oxygen he use and as an obvious next result more breathless he may feel. Think once, what happens when you exercise hard at the gym? Simple, you feel breathless. Same is the case of the victim as well. Let the victim rest for some time and in the mean time keep a close eye at his breathing pattern.

Let the patient lay, stand or sit comfortably: In fact a lot of myths still shroud about how to position the patient who is suffering from breathlessness. Players are often recommended to hold arms above their head for maximum air inflow. On the other hand, paramedics often recommend “tripod position" for victims. However we never get tired of saying, each case and every patient is different. So, it is always recommended to let the patient decide his own comfortable body position.

Dial 911: When resting, sitting or lying in comfortable body position is not serving the purpose, do not delay any further and call 911. As we have already said breathlessness may have many underlying causes. In some cases, severe lung issues, heart attack or other life threatening issues may even cause breathlessness. Use your best judgments and call 911, which can strike the difference between life and death

For victims with some chronic lung problem, use oxygen: Check whether or not the parent has oxygen available. During the episodes of breathlessness the patient should use oxygen. Calm him down and assure the patient that in the period of acute breathlessness, oxygen is required and he need not to worry about the amount he takes.

Remember; the treatment for breathlessness is case specific and should be left to the professionals.

Good Luck!