What Causes Shortness Of Breath?

Posted on Sat, 16 Jul 2016

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

Sat, 16 Jul 2016 Answered on

Sat, 6 Aug 2016 Last reviewed on

Question : what can be causing me to feel like I'm not getting enough air ?

Answered by Dr. Panagiotis Zografakis (3 hours later)

Brief Answer:
various potential causes...

Detailed Answer:
Hello,

shortness of breath can be caused by various disorders. I'll mention some of the most common ones:
- respiratory tract disorders: asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, lung infection, pleural effusion, pneumothorax
- cardiovascular disorders: heart failure, pulmonary embolism, pericarditis
- psychiatric disorders: generalized anxiety disorder, panic attacks

The list is not exhaustive. There are too many causes to mention here. The symptoms of the patient are important to identify the cause.

I hope it helps!
Kind Regards!

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