I Have Been Experiencing Shortness Of Breath Immediately After Starting

Posted on Sat, 4 May 2019

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 4 May 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : I have been experiencing shortness of breath immediately after starting basic activities like mowing the lawn, carrying heavy objects, playing softball.

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (30 minutes later)

Brief Answer:
I would recommend as follows:

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Welcome to Ask a Doctor service!

I understand your concern and would explain that considering your symptoms, it is important to differentiate between a cardiac disorder, a metabolic disorder or a lung disease.

For this reason, I would first recommend performing some blood lab tests including (complete blood count for anemia, thyroid hormone levels for thyroid gland dysfunction, fasting glucose, kidney and liver function tests), a chest X ray study and a resting ECG.

If blood lab tests are normal, the next step to follow would be performing a cardiac ultrasound and pulmonary function tests in order to differentiate between a cardiac and lung disorder.

You should discuss with your doctor on the above tests.

Hope to have been helpful!

Kind regards,

Dr. Ilir Sharka, Cardiologist

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar