What Does Labored Breathing Mean?
Unless
youâre running a marathon, breathing isnât usually something you think about.
When you experience labored breathing, you canât breathe easily and may even struggle
to breathe. Labored breathing can be alarming and cause you to feel tired or
worn out. It can sometimes represent a medical emergency.
There
are numerous causes of labored breathing. Not all of them are specifically
related to the lungs. Seeking medical treatment to identify a cause can help
you get back to breathing normally.
What Are the Symptoms of Labored Breathing?
Other names for labored breathing include:
difficulty breathingtrouble breathinguncomfortable breathingworking hard to breathe
The severity of labored breathing depends on its
circumstances. For example, when exercising, you may temporarily experience
labored breathing as a part of exerting yourself. Labored breathing lasts
longer and you canât expect it to subside within a certain amount of time.
What Causes Labored Breathing?
Labored breathing can have many causes. Some are
related to chronic conditions, including:
amyotrophic lateral
sclerosis (ALS)asthmacardiomyopathychronic bronchitischronic obstructive
pulmonary disease (COPD)coronary artery diseasecongestive heart failureemphysemaGuillain-Barré syndromelung cancermyasthenia gravispulmonary edemapulmonary fibrosispulmonary hypertensionsarcoidosisstable anginatuberculosisventricular dysfunction
Just because labored breathing is a symptom of a
chronic condition doesnât mean itâs OK or normal.
Other acute or sudden-onset conditions that may
result in labored breathing include:
anemiacarbon monoxide poisoningcroupfluid buildup around the
lungs due to pleural effusion or pericardial effusionheart attackpneumoniapneumothoraxupper airway obstruction
(choking on something)
Many of these causes of labored breathing represent
medical emergencies.
Labored breathing can also be the result of anxiety.
Feeling panicked or scared can cause you to hyperventilate or breathe very quickly.
You may have trouble catching your breath, causing your breathing to be labored.
When Do I Seek Medical Help for Labored Breathing?
Breathing is vital to your bodyâs functioning, particularly
your brain. For this reason, labored breathing is often considered a medical
emergency.
Seek immediate medical attention if you experience a labored
breathing episode unrelated to physical activity that doesnât go away after a
few minutes. Even if you can attribute the labored breathing to an underlying
disease, seeking immediate attention before your condition worsens can protect
your health and your airway.
Other symptoms associated with labored breathing that need
medical attention include:
difficulty lying flatfeeling disoriented or confusedgaspingwheezing when breathing
Children can also experience labored breathing. Symptoms that
warrant immediate medical attention include:
breathing very quickly, especially faster than normalexcessive drooling or difficulty swallowingskin that looks blue or gray around the nose, mouth,
or fingernailsnoisy, high-pitched breathing sounds suddenly anxiety or fatigue
How Is Labored Breathing Diagnosed?
A doctor will first try to relate the labored
breathing to a known cause. For example, if you have lung cancer or COPD, your labored
breathing may likely be due to worsening of that condition.
Additional diagnostic tests that may help diagnose
labored breathing include:
physical exam: Your doctor will
listen to your lungs with a stethoscope, count how fast youâre breathing, and
look at your overall appearance.functional assessment: This may include
watching you walk to see how short of breath you become.chest X-ray: Taking an X-ray visualizes
the lungs so your doctor can look for any potential obstructions, fluid
buildup, or pneumonia symptoms.computed tomography
(CT) scan: This provides a detailed view of the lungs and other organs in your
body to identify abnormalities.blood testing: Doing a blood test
for a complete blood count (CBC) test can determine how many oxygen-carrying
red blood cells you have. An arterial blood gas (ABG) is another blood test
that can indicate how much oxygen is present in the blood.
How Is Labored Breathing Treated?
Treatment for labored breathing depends upon the
underlying cause and the severity of the symptoms. Examples include:
administering breathing treatments or medications to
open up closed airwaysapplying oxygen therapy to increase the amount of
available oxygen in the airmedications for people experiencing labored
breathing due to anxiety using a ventilator to help you breath
If an underlying infection, such as pneumonia, is the cause, youâll
also be given antibiotics. In rare instances, surgery may be required to remove
a tumor or other obstruction that may be affecting your ability to breathe.
Source: http://www.healthline.com
