What are the symptoms of shortness of breath?
Shortness of breath feels like breathlessness, chest tightness, rapid or shallow breathing, or an inability to take a deep breath. Warning signs include blue lips, breathlessness at rest, wheezing, or chest pain, which point to a serious heart or lung cause.
Shortness of breath, medically called dyspnea, is the sensation of not getting enough air. People describe it in different ways — chest tightness, hunger for air, having to work to breathe, or being unable to take a satisfying deep breath. The specific pattern and the symptoms that accompany it are what tell you how serious it may be.
What Shortness of Breath Feels Like
Common ways breathlessness shows up include:
- Rapid, shallow, or labored breathing — breathing fast or having to use extra effort to move air.
- Chest tightness — a squeezing or heavy sensation along with the air hunger.
- Wheezing — a whistling sound on breathing out, common with asthma or COPD.
- Feeling winded at rest — breathlessness when sitting still or lying down, not just with activity.
- Trouble lying flat (orthopnea) — needing to prop up on pillows to breathe, or waking short of breath.
- Persistent cough — dry, or bringing up mucus, and occasionally blood.
Symptoms That Point to a Cause
Accompanying symptoms often hint at what is behind the breathlessness. Wheezing and a tight chest suggest asthma or COPD. Fever, chills, and a productive cough suggest pneumonia or a respiratory infection. Swollen ankles and feet, weight gain, and breathlessness when lying down suggest heart failure or a circulation problem. A racing heart with lightheadedness can point to a cardiac cause or a blood clot. Because these causes overlap and can be serious, a new or worsening pattern deserves prompt evaluation.
Dangerous Symptoms to Take Seriously
Some symptoms are red flags that the cause may be life-threatening. Seek emergency care for bluish or gray lips or fingertips (a sign of low oxygen), breathlessness so severe you cannot speak a full sentence, chest pain or pressure, fainting or confusion, or coughing up blood. Breathlessness that comes on suddenly, keeps getting worse, or is present at rest should also be treated as serious, since it can signal a heart attack, pulmonary embolism, severe asthma attack, or anaphylaxis.
For a complete guide, see our shortness of breath page. If your symptoms are severe, sudden, or worsening, call 911. For 24/7 walk-in evaluation with on-site labs and imaging, come to Bellaire ER at 5302 Bellaire Blvd or call (713) 660-0001.