Few symptoms are as distressing and disabling as not being able to breathe well. Lung infections and injuries are common causes of short-term breathing trouble. Chronic lung diseases including asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer frequently cause long-term breathing difficulties. Accurate diagnosis and effective treatment can limit breathing trouble and the effects of this symptom on your quality of life.
Airway Obstruction
Airway obstruction is a common cause of breathing difficulty. Asthma causes temporary obstruction due to a sudden constriction of the airways leading to wheezing, coughing and shortness of breath. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, 20 million Americans have asthma. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD also causes breathing difficulty. With COPD, airway swelling, increased respiratory secretions and damage to the air sacs lead to chronic airway obstruction and persistent shortness of breath. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates 24 million Americans have COPD. According to the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, cigarette smoking remains the leading cause of COPD.
Cancerous lung tumors can physically obstruct the airways causing breathing trouble. Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation treatments can alleviate lung cancer-related airway obstruction. The American Cancer Society reports more than 219,000 Americans were diagnosed with lung cancer in 2009. Smoking is the most common cause of lung cancer.
Airway Infection
Pneumonia is an infection of the air sacs and structural tissues of the lungs. Bacteria, viruses and fungi can cause pneumonia. Infection of the lungs causes an immune system reaction. The combined effects of the invading organisms and the immune system response lead to air sac damage and leakage of fluid into the air sacs. The damaged, wet air sacs cannot effectively exchange gases with the blood stream. Shortness of breath, coughing and breathing trouble can result. Data from CDC show pneumonia and influenza are the eighth leading cause of death in the United States.
Physical Abnormalities of the Chest Cavity
Physical abnormalities of the chest cavity can cause breathing difficulties. Trauma resulting in multiple rib fractures causes a condition called flail chest in which breathing becomes compromised because of instability of the chest wall. Severe kyphosis--forward rounding of the spine--limits the space available in the chest for lung inflation. The Mayo Clinic advises this condition may cause breathing difficulties. Obesity hypoventilation syndrome is a condition in which extreme body weight limits the movement of the chest causing poor ventilation. Shortness of breath is a common symptom of this condition.
References
- American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology: Asthma
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Facts About Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: What is COPD?
- American Cancer Society: Cancer Facts and Figures 2009
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: U.S. Deaths and Mortality
