Reasons for Shortness of Breath and Fatigue

Shortness of breath generally occurs due to infections, allergies, asthma or other nervous and respiratory disorders. Shortness of breath and fatigue are inter related terms as fatigue is a prominent indicator of a person suffering from shortness of breath disorder. Frequent cough, fever and pain in the chest are the most general signs which highlight the presence of this disorder in an individual. You should contact your family doctor immediately, if you face any of the above problems as, prevention is better than cure.

Various Reasons For Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath is also called dyspnea in the medical world. Dyspnea is of two types - acute dyspnea and chronic dyspnea. Apart from the above mentioned causes, there are many reasons for shortness of breath which are used to detect the disorder. They are as follows:

Pulmonary and Cardiovascular disorders
Serious pneumonia, infections which result into swelling, lung hemorrhages, intense bronchospasms are some pulmonary disorders which lead to shortness of breath. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is responsible to cause Chronic dyspnea. Disturbance and malfunctioning of the heart, artery diseases, congestive heart failure, cardial infarction and arrhythmias of heart are the cardiovascular diseases causing shortness of breath.

Heart Diseases and Chest Injuries
Insufficient supply of blood to the muscles of the heart muscles cause heart diseases which further cause chronic dyspnea (shortness of breath). Heart related diseases, like presence of tumors in the heart and damage caused to the pericardial membrane, also contribute to dyspnea. Injuries to the chest and serious penetrating wounds cause lung problems and ribs of the heart to fracture. Any trouble in the heart occurring even for a short time duration should be reported to the physician to detect breathing problems before the condition becomes critical.

Emotional Conditions and Neuromuscular Disorders
Emotional conditions like grief, over anxiety, phobia, intense anger, over excitement cause temporary or prolonged shortness of breath. These emotions may result in experiencing hyperventilation in affected people. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, muscular dystrophy and myasthenia gravis are the neuromuscular disorders which are the prime reasons for shortness of breath in people of all age groups.

Overexertion
Giving the body a lot of stress by doing laborious work for several hours without adequate sleep is known as overexertion. Overexertion of the body can be both-physical and mental. Exercising for prolonged period which is beyond the capacity of the body to withstand is an example of physical overexertion. Work tensions in professionals, examination and performance related tensions in students are fine examples of mental overexertion. Overexertion and shortness of breath are directly proportional to each other. More the exertion, more intense will be the breathing problems. Dizziness, nausea, vomiting and lack of flexible body movements are symptoms of overexertion. This problem causes fatigue which is a condition of extreme tiredness. The symptoms of fatigue are: Obesity, depression, nutrition problems, low blood pressure, atmospheric pollution, changes in the body due to hormone development, infections, stress and lack of proper exercise. It is important to understand the concept of 'Fatigue' because without that, it is almost impossible to interpret correctly the 'reasons for shortness of breath'.

Other Reasons For Shortness of Breath
Asthma, lung damage, respiratory disorders, anemia, panic attacks, bronchitis, pregnancy, ankylosing spondylitis, scoliosis, kyphosis of the spinal cord, broken ribs can affect the breathing ability of a person.

Detecting Shortness of Breath in People
It is easy to detect people with breathing problems. These people generally take deep breaths using their chest and neck muscles. Difficulty in talking for a long time, unable to participate in sports and activities which require heavy-duty body movements, confusion while interacting in a group, weak body are sufficient to identify people with shortness of breath.

Tests and Treatments
The doctor you visit is likely to ask you to have an X-ray of your chest taken. The electrical signals of your heart will be studied using an electrocardiogram machine. You may be advised a Computerized Tomography (CT) scan and have a blood test done. The oxygen content of your blood and breathing strength will also be measured. Regular exercise and avoiding addictions like smoking and drinking will definitely help in achieving our goal.

Breathing problems are common in cities than in the villages. Improving our lifestyle is the key to maintain a good health which in turn is the key to a happy life.