Abstract
Dyspnea is defined by the American Thoracic Society as “the subjective experience of breathing discomfort that is comprised of qualitatively distinct sensations that vary in intensity” (Berliner et al., Am J Respir Crit Care Med 185:435–452, 2012). Dyspnea is a subjective symptom and can occur in patients both with and without compromise in gas exchange. The sensation of dyspnea arises from activation of receptors located throughout the body that send signals to central respiratory centers. Thus, the etiology of dyspnea is often multifactorial. Detailed history and physical exam, with special attention to the language patients use to describe their symptoms, can elucidate the cause of dyspnea in the majority of cases. Further testing should be driven by clinical suspicion of a specific diagnosis or organ system.
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Abbreviations
- ACS:
-
Acute coronary syndrome
- ATS:
-
American Thoracic Society
- BNP:
-
Brain natriuretic peptide
- CAD:
-
Coronary artery disease
- CBC:
-
Complete blood count
- CHF:
-
Congestive heart failure
- COPD:
-
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
- GERD:
-
Gastroesophageal reflux disease
- Hct:
-
Hematocrit
- Hgb:
-
Hemoglobin
- HTN:
-
Hypertension
- ILD:
-
Interstitial lung disease
- LR:
-
Likelihood ratio
- NPV:
-
Negative predictive value
- PE:
-
Pulmonary embolism
- PFT:
-
Pulmonary function test
- PPV:
-
Positive predictive value
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Koch, R., Cassimatis, D. (2022). Dyspnea. In: Bhargava, A.A., Wells, B.J., Quintero, P.A. (eds) Handbook of Outpatient Cardiology . Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-88953-1_2
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