Dyspnea Overview
Chronic progressive dyspnea is characteristic of patients with COPD, while episodic dyspnea is more common in asthmatics. Unfortunately, there can be a significant overlap between these 2 types of dyspnea, creating confusion in establishing an accurate diagnosis.
What is Dyspnea?The term dyspnea is derived from the Greek dys, meaning painful or difficult and pneuma, meaning breath. Dyspnea is among the most common symptoms of patients with airflow obstructions, and encompasses a variety of sensations experienced when breathing feels difficult.. |
Mechanisms of DyspneaAlthough the mechanisms of dyspnea are poorly understood, new scanning technologies allow the imaging of brain function under different activities and stimuli so that researchers can visualize the areas of the brain that are activated when dyspnea is perceived.. |
Descriptors of DyspneaWhen questioned by physicians, patients volunteer comments such as "It’s hard to breathe," "I can't get enough air," or "My chest feels tight." Based upon these volunteered descriptions, and because patients can become highly creative in their descriptions of breathlessness, researchers have developed a list of descriptive sentences for dyspnea. |
Measurement of DyspneaOther questionnaires, such as the Baseline and Transition Dyspnea Index (BDI/TDI), ask patients to rate their level of dyspnea upon performing certain tasks, and may include examples such as: |
Dyspnea & HRQOLDyspnea and Health-Related Quality of Life. The most debilitating symptom of COPD is dyspnea, the awareness of breathlessness or shortness of breath. Dyspnea increases as the disease progresses, ultimately severely compromising a patient's HRQOL. |
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