At GuideTreatments.com we believe that symptomatic treatments should be reserved only for short term. It is vitally important to diagnose the underlying condition with robust assessment and investigations.
Common conditions to consider:
Condition |
Common clinical presentation along with breathlessness |
| Asthma | Chest tightness, wheeze on auscultation and abnormal pulmonary function tests with reversibility |
| Bronchitis | Productive cough, fever and bilateral crackles on auscultation |
| Bronchiectasis | Chronic daily cough, productive cough and clubbing of fingers |
| COPD | Chronic daily cough, productive cough and abnormal pulmonary function test without reversibility |
| Pneumonia | High grade fever, reduced air entry and X ray evidence of pneumonic patch |
| Influenza (Common flu) | Fever, muscle ache and no evidence of other infective pathologies |
| Anaemia | Dizziness, fatigue, palor, chronic blood loss and laboratory evidence of low haemoglobin |
| Angina | Central chest pain but no ECG changes |
| Myocardial infarction | Chest pain and ECG changes |
| Congestive cardiac failure | Pedal oedema, irregular rhythm and 2 D echo evidence of reduced ejection fraction |
| Hyperthyroidism | Palpitations, excessive sweating, heat intolerance, fatigue, loss of weight |
| Hypothyroidsim | Fatigue, weight gain, intolerance to cold, dry skin |
| Laryngotracheitis | Severe cough, stridor and fever |
| Whooping cough | Significant cough, bouts of cough leading to syncope and positive throat swab |
| COVID 19 | Fever, rhinitis, body ache and positive swab culture |
| Ascites | Abdominal distension, anorexia, nausea or heartburn |
| Tuberculosis | Chronic cough and associated with night fever, loss of appetite, weight loss and positive AFB sputum |
| Obesity | High BMI and no other explainable pathology |
| Anxiety disorder | Palpitations and/or psychological triggers and no other explainable pathology |
| Fibromyalgia | Generalised pain, fatigue or low mood but without any clear other pathology |
Note: Any generalised or significant illness can lead to breathlessness and hence a detailed history, examination and investigation is needed.