" first part
What to do in front of a patient with dyspnea?
First of all, the doctor will have to ask the patient for a detailed description of the physical effort necessary to produce dyspnea and ask if this is modified by changing posture or with rest.
If acute airway obstruction is suspected, lateral neck radiography or direct examination of the upper respiratory tract with a fiberscope, which is a thin tube with a camera inserted into the upper airways, may be helpful.
In the case of a "chronic obstruction of the airways (asthma, emphysema, chronic bronchitis), spirometry will be able to clarify the cause.
Cardiac dyspnea usually appears as shortness of breath following intense physical exertion, gradually worsening over months or years, even occurring at rest, and forces patients to sleep by increasing the number of cushions to keep the chest raised more and more, thus reducing the accumulation of fluids in the vessels of the lung.
Once the cause of dyspnea has been identified, treatment is strictly dependent on it.
For further information: Drugs for the Treatment of Dyspnea "
