In most cases, wheezing is a symptom that results from diseases of the respiratory system (lung diseases) or from heart disease. There are, however, other conditions associated with this manifestation, such as neurological, musculoskeletal, endocrine, haematological and psychiatric conditions. Breathlessness also occurs in healthy subjects during intense physical activity, due to the hyperventilation evoked by the same effort.
Typically, treatment is aimed at the underlying disease. For this reason, the diagnostic process to identify the causes of the breathlessness must be as complete as possible.
. This consists of a forced breathing difficulty accompanied by subjective suffering.
Wheezing is felt differently by those who suffer from it; more commonly, the sensation is described as:
- Difficult breathing;
- Shortness of breath;
- Hunger for air;
- Having trouble breathing
- Sense of weight on the chest;
- Inability to take a deep breath.
Wheezing is a manifestation that arises:
- Following an increase in respiratory work
or
- When they are stimulated:
- The respiratory centers located in the brain stem: breathing is regulated by groups of neurons that function independently of the control of the subject's will; these are located in a structure of the central nervous system, below the hemispheres of the brain (brain stem). When the function of these neurons is compromised, breathing can be affected. The onset of breathlessness can therefore be the consequence of: inflammation, infections, trauma (especially from road accidents), toxic substances (drugs or drugs based on opium and barbiturates), hypoxia, hypercapnia (accumulation of carbon dioxide in the blood) and tumors;
- The receptors located in the upper airways, alveolar and interstitial space, respiratory muscles and chest wall.
Furthermore, wheezing can be of a functional nature; in this case, it is a compensatory phenomenon implemented for:
- Overcoming an obstacle to regular lung ventilation;
- Satisfy the organism's increased oxygen demand.
The feeling of shortness of breath can come from multiple causes. Some are purely physiological, such as, for example, in the case of the last trimester of pregnancy, where breathing difficulty is a consequence of the increase in the volume of the uterus which presses on the vena cava and diaphragm. In other cases, breathlessness has a "pathological origin.
