First Aid for Difficulty Breathing
Alternate Names : Difficulty Breathing, Shortness of Breath, Dyspnea
A person who has difficulty breathing is having trouble moving air
in or out of the lungs. This can be the result of an airway obstruction,
disease, severe allergic reaction, injury, or other medical
condition.
What are the causes and risks of the injury?
The causes of difficulty breathing can vary. Causes can be associated with
medical diseases and conditions that narrow the airways, such as:
emphysema, a chronic lung
disease in which the air sacs are destroyed,
seen mostly in smokers
chronic bronchitis, a chronic
lung
disease also seen in smokers, that is marked by persistent coughing up of
sputum from the lungs
asthma, a lung disease in which
the overly-sensitive airways become narrowed in response to various
triggers
Other causes of difficulty breathing include:
crush injuries to the chest or
airways, such as those resulting from a motor vehicle accident or a sports injury
pneumothorax, or
collapsed
lung
congestive heart failure, a
condition in which the weakened heart is unable to pump enough blood to body
organs
heart disease, and
abnormalities
in any of the heart valves
adjustment to a high altitude
an obstruction in the airway, as in the case of a person who is
choking
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