Shortness of Breath
What is Shortness of Breath?
Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, also called dyspnea, can sometimes be harmless as the result of exercise or nasal congestion. In other situations, it may be a sign of a more serious heart or lung disease.
Symptoms/Causes of Shortness of Breath
- Allergic reactions
- Heart disease or heart attack (in this case, shortness of breath may be accompanied by swelling of the feet/ankles).
- Lung disease
- Emphysema
- Pneumonia
- Asthma or allergies
- Anemia
- Panic attacks
- Airway obstructions, exposure to cigarette smoke or extreme exposure to dust or fumes.
- Obesity or lack of exercise
- High altitudes
- Blood flow disruption in getting oxygen to the brain
- Intense emotional anxiety or stress
What to Expect
When you visit one of our iCare Emergency Room & Urgent Care Locations, our medical team, led by an experienced ER physician will immediately assess your situation, employ life saving intervention as needed and provide a physical examination. Your care team may perform laboratory testing from our on-site lab. Once you are diagnosed, a treatment plan will be provided based on the severity of your condition and symptoms. In the event that a patient requires hospitalization or other procedures that we do not offer at iCare, we are able to transfer them to a hospital for admission.
