Section III Common Symptoms dyspnea

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Section III Common Symptoms(dyspnea)

• Dr. Zhuoren Lu
• First Hospital
• Xian Jiaotong University

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C. Dyspnea 1.
Definition shortness of breath. It is purely
subjective.2. Causes of dyspnea(1) pulmonary
dyspneaa) Obstructive disease of airways? Large
airway obstruction produces inspiring dyspnea
? Obstruction of intrathoracic airways produces
expiring dyspnea -- asthmatic wheezing

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• b) Ephysema and Diffuse parenchymal lung
  disease
• c) Disease of chest wall and respiratory
  muscles
• (2) Cardiac dyspnea In left ventricular failure,
  the hydrostatic pressure in the pulmonary
  capillaries exceeds oncotic pressure of plasma,
  transudation of fluid from capillaries to alveoli
  takes place.
• (3)Miscellaneous causes of dyspnea

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3. Some types of dyspnes

• (1) Exertional dyspnes Dyspnea during exertion
  is the earliest symptom of left ventricular
  failure.
• (2) Acute pulmonary edema Usually it occurs in
  individuals with already compromised heart, with
  sudden increase of blood pressure in hypertensive
  person, sudden increases of pulse rate, unusual
  exertion, rapid intravenous infusions of fluid,
  and so on.

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• (3) Orthopnea a form of dyspnea in which the
  patient must assume a sitting position to avoid
  respiratory distress.
• (4)Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea The cause is
  that the patient is already on the borderline of
  pulmonary edema. The result is an increase of
  pulmonary capillary pressure and pulmonary edema.
  
• (5)Cardiac asthma It is asthmatic breathing in
  the patient with heart disease. It frequently
  occurs during attacks of paroxysmal nocturnal
  dyspnea.