aetiology

Last reviewed 01/2018

Causes of breathlessness include:

Physiological dyspnoea: the normal breathlessness that accompanies exercise, the onset of which is dependent on the individual's fitness.

Cardiac disease:

• pulmonary venous congestion due to left heart failure of any cause

Lung disease:

• obstructive airways disease, e.g. acute asthma
• chronic airflow limitation, e.g. chronic bronchitis and/or emphysema
• parenchymal lung disease, e.g. fibrosing alveolitis, sarcoidosis, pneumoconiosis: initially produce dyspnoea on exertion. Crackles are usually present on auscultation.
• pulmonary vascular disease, e.g. pulmonary emboli, pulmonary hypertension
• chest wall abnormality, e.g. obesity, kyphoscoliosis
• respiratory muscle weakness, e.g. Guillain-Barre, syndrome, polio, myasthenia gravis
• pneumothorax
• pulmonary collapse

Other causes, e.g. psychogenic hyperventilation, altitude sickness, anaemia.

Breathlessness may also be considered in terms of acute causes and chronic causes - see linked items below.