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Dr. Andrew Rynne
MD
Dr. Andrew Rynne

Family Physician

Exp 50 years

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What Can Cause Short Breath In An Alcoholic ?

hello can you please help me my father is 50 years old and he is a heavy drinker. Lately he has been having these sudden attacks of him not bieng able to brethe. It usually happens when he coughs. He coughs and keeps on coughing until he cant breathe and then he looses consciousness. He usually wakes up a few seconds after loosing consciousness and he does not know what happened. He gets really red and very twitchy when he has loss of air and im afraid these attacks will get worse but i do not know what it is and how to help it. my father did go in for a check up but they said all he has is just loss of breathe but i dont think thats it. He also has been like this for about a year or two. please if you can help me i will really appreciate it.
Fri, 15 Sep 2017
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Pulmonologist,  's  Response
Thanks for your question on Healthcare Magic.
I can understand your concern.
Chronic and heavy alcoholics are prone for lung infections and bronchitis because of poor immunity.
So we should get done chest x ray and PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) first.
He may need antibiotics and inhaled treatment.
If all these reports are normal then possibility of chyne strokes breathing is more likely. It is CNS breathing commonly seen in heavy drinkers.
Treatment is alcohol abstinence.
If he is won't quit alcohol now, his condition will worsen only.
Hope I have solved your query. I will be happy to help you further. Wishing good health to your father. Thanks.
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What Can Cause Short Breath In An Alcoholic ?

Thanks for your question on Healthcare Magic. I can understand your concern. Chronic and heavy alcoholics are prone for lung infections and bronchitis because of poor immunity. So we should get done chest x ray and PFT (Pulmonary Function Test) first. He may need antibiotics and inhaled treatment. If all these reports are normal then possibility of chyne strokes breathing is more likely. It is CNS breathing commonly seen in heavy drinkers. Treatment is alcohol abstinence. If he is won t quit alcohol now, his condition will worsen only. Hope I have solved your query. I will be happy to help you further. Wishing good health to your father. Thanks.