Dyspnea

• Dyspnea is the fancy medical term for shortness of breath, which can take many forms. When you are short of breath, you may wheeze or pant, or experience "air hunger," where it feels like you can't get enough air no matter how much you try to inhale. Nerves in your rib cage or lungs, or in your chest muscles, signal that you are hypoxic, which signifies lack of adequate oxygen in the tissues. Shortness of breath can be quite uncomfortable and very frightening; it needs to always be treated as a potential threat to your life. If you experience sudden shortness of breath absent a diagnosis, it is important that you go to the emergency room or call for an ambulance.
  
  

Asthma

• Asthma is the chronic inflammation of the bronchi in the lungs, usually as a result of being exposed to an allergen. Common allergies include foods, animal dander, pollen, dust mites and chemicals or medications, to name a few. Exercising can also be an asthma attack trigger. During an asthma attack, the airway gets inflamed and swollen, causing restriction in the amount of air that can get through into your lungs. Some allergies can cause you to have anaphylaxis, a condition in which your lips and throat may swell, cutting off all air delivery into your lungs. Anaphylaxis is life-threatening; seek medical assistance immediately.
  
  

Heart Conditions

• Dyspnea can occur in conjunction with various heart conditions, like angina (chest pains that do not radiate down the left arm) or pericardial effusion, which can indicate the presence of lung cancer or an enlarged heart. In an article published in 2005 in the New England Journal of Medicine, Dr. Daniel Berman stated that often patients make the dangerous assumption that shortness of breath and heart disease are not related. What people don't realize is that shortness of breath without chest pain can be an indicator of high risk heart disease, and this situation needs to be treated as acute.
  
  

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a term that actually refers to two conditions under one umbrella: emphysema and chronic bronchitis. Emphysema is the chronic inflammation of the tissues in the lungs that causes air to be trapped in small pockets in the lungs when you exhale, leaving you unable to expel all of the air from your lungs. Chronic bronchitis is the narrowing of the bronchi, tubes in your lungs through which the air you inhale and exhale passes. A narrowing of these bronchi can result in oxygen-deficit blood being pumped through your body.