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Integrated Palliative Care of Respiratory Disease pp 19–33Cite as

Breathlessness

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Abstract

Breathlessness is a complex symptom, incorporating physical and emotional components. After considering the control of respiration, the causes of breathlessness and mechanisms in chronic lung disease are described. The assessment of the breathlessness patient can include symptom scoring, measures of the impact on life, descriptors of the sensation and functional measures. Management is initially by disease modification of the underlying process, but alongside this, pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions may be included. The principal drugs employed are opioids and benzodiazepines. There are a variety of non-drug interventions that are used for dyspnea in lung disease, some including an exercise component, some not. Oxygen also has a role in the hypoxemic patient. The ­presence of breathlessness can also have prognostic significance in advanced lung disease.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Palliative Medicine, North Tyneside General Hospital, Rake Lane, North Shields, Tyne and Wear, NE29 8NH, UK

    E. Timothy Peel M.B.B.S., B.Sc., FRCP

  2. Marie Curie Hospice, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK

    E. Timothy Peel M.B.B.S., B.Sc., FRCP

  3. Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Queen Victoria Road, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4LP, UK

    Graham P. Burns BSc, MBBS, FRCP, DipMedSci, Ph.D

Authors
  1. E. Timothy Peel M.B.B.S., B.Sc., FRCP
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  2. Graham P. Burns BSc, MBBS, FRCP, DipMedSci, Ph.D
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Correspondence to E. Timothy Peel M.B.B.S., B.Sc., FRCP .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne, NE1 4LP, United Kingdom

    Stephen J. Bourke

  2. , Palliative Care Unit, North Tyneside General Hospital, Rake Lane, North Shields, NE29 8NH, United Kingdom

    Edwin Timothy Peel

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© 2013 Springer-Verlag London

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Peel, E.T., Burns, G.P. (2013). Breathlessness. In: Bourke, S., Peel, E. (eds) Integrated Palliative Care of Respiratory Disease. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2230-2_2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-2230-2_2

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-2229-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-2230-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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