I Went To The ER A Few Days Ago With

Posted on Thu, 20 Jun 2019

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

Thu, 20 Jun 2019 Answered on

Last reviewed on

Question : I went to the ER a few days ago with shortness of breath. I’ve had problems with anxiety in the past so I couldn’t tell if it was from that or something else. My DDimer came back at 1.2 so they did a CT with contrast to make sure there were no PEs and it came out clear so they sent me home. Now I’m still freaking out about why my DDimer could have been elevated so much! Any words of encouragement?

Answered by Dr. Ilir Sharka (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Welcome on - Ask a Doctor- service!

I understand your concern and would like to explain that an elevated D-dimer may also be present in situation of several inflammations/infections.

Even a respiratory inflammation, which is frequently associated with shortness of breathing, may increase the blood levels of D-dimer. Also a small vein thrombosis without PE may cause the same effects.

So if your complaints persist you may discuss with your attending physician on the possibility of the above mentioned underlying issues.

Hope to have been helpful to you!

Kind regards,

Dr. Iliri

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Yogesh D