Breathing Problems: Causes, Symptoms and Preventions

When you're short of breath, it's hard or uncomfortable for you to take in the oxygen your body needs. You may feel as if you're not getting enough air. Sometimes mild breathing problems are from a stuffy nose or hard exercise. But shortness of breath can also be a sign of a serious disease.

Difficulty in breathing, shortness of breath, breathlessness or dyspnea can have various causes. Episodes of shortness of breath can occur during high levels of activity, like exhaustive exertion, or as a result of environmental conditions such as high altitude or very warm or cold temperatures. Other than these extreme conditions, shortness of breath is commonly a sign of a medical problem.

Most children who take part in baby swimming show no increased incidence of lower respiratory tract infections, ear inflammation (otitis media) or tightness and wheezing in the chest. Between 6-18 months the incidence of lower respiratory tract infections and otitis media were 13 percent and 30 percent respectively, whilst the proportion of children who experienced tightness or wheezing in the chest was 40 percent.

Causes of Breathing Problem

Breathing problems are common symptoms caused by many conditions, iCOPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease) a conditions involving bronchitis and emphysema.ncluding asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), other lung diseases and heart disease. Most people who have breathing problems are aware of the condition, such as when children struggle to catch their breath during an asthma attack or ex-smokers find themselves easily winded due to emphysema.

Shortness of breath can be caused by many things, including the following:

Asthma

Other lung diseases, including emphysema (say: "em-fa-see-ma"), a lung disease that is caused by smoking

Heart failure that causes fluid to collect in the lungs

Panic attacks

Symptoms Of Breathing Problems

1. Sudden onset of severe shortness of breath: This could be a flare-up of chronic lung disease like COPD, or it might mean an infection such as pneumonia or acute bronchitis or the onset of heart failure.

2. Sudden chest pain: Often sudden chest pain can indicate a heart problem, but it can also signal a lung problem, such as a collapsed lung or blood clot in the lung.

Prevention

* Wear a medical alert tag if you have a pre-existing breathing condition, such as asthma.

* If you have a history of severe allergic reactions, carry an epinephrine pen and wear a medical alert tag. Your doctor will teach you how to use the epi pen.

* If you have asthma or allergies, eliminate household allergy triggers like dust mites and mold.

What might breathing problems indicate in a newborn?

Babies breathe much faster than older children and adults. A newborn's normal breathing rate is about 40 times each minute. This may slow to 20 to 40 times per minute when the baby is sleeping. The pattern of breathing in a baby may also be different. A baby may breathe fast several times, then have a brief rest for less than 10 seconds, than breathe again.