Breathing Difficulties: Causes

What causes breathing difficulties?

Breathing difficulties can occur as a symptom of diseases, disorders and conditions of the respiratory system, as well as other body systems.

Respiratory system causes of breathing difficulties

Breathing difficulties can be caused by diseases and conditions of the respiratory system including:

• Acute bronchitis

• Asthma

• Bronchiolitis

• Chest trauma that results in fractured ribs, a collapsed lung (pneumothorax), or hemopneumothorax (a collapsed lung with air and blood in the chest cavity)

• Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)

• Epiglottitis (inflammation of the tissue that covers the trachea or windpipe)

• Lung cancer

• Pleurisy (inflammation of the lining around the lungs)

• Pneumonia

• Pulmonary edema (fluid buildup in the lungs)

• Pulmonary embolism (blood clot blocking one or more arteries in the lung)

• Throat trauma and injury or rupture of the larynx (voice box)

Other causes of breathing difficulties

Breathing difficulties can also be caused by diseases and conditions of body systems other than the respiratory system. For example, in the cardiovascular system, breathing difficulties can be a symptom of congestive heart failure or heart attack. In the nervous system, breathing difficulties can be a symptom of a neuromuscular disorder, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, narcotic overdose, or post-polio syndrome. Breathing difficulties can also result from an anaphylactic reaction.

Other causes of breathing difficulties include:

• Allergies and anaphylactic reaction

• Anxiety attacks or panic attacks

• Certain cancers, such as leukemia

• Heart conditions, such as heart attack, cardiomyopathy, pericarditis, cardiac arrhythmias, and congestive heart failure

• High altitudes

• Hyperventilation

• Neurological or neuromuscular conditions, such as Guillain-Barré syndrome, head trauma, narcotic overdose, or post-polio syndrome

• Obesity or poor physical shape

• Organ failure, such as liver or kidney failure

• Sepsis (life-threatening bacterial blood infection)

• Severe ascites (abnormal buildup of fluid in the abdomen)

• Severe tonsillitis

• Shock

What are the potential complications of breathing difficulties?

Complications of breathing difficulties are life threatening. You can minimize the risk of serious complications of breathing difficulties by seeking early medical care and following the treatment plan you and your health care professional design specifically for you. Complications of breathing difficulties include:

• Hypoxia (low oxygen levels)

• Respiratory acidosis (high carbon dioxide levels in the body resulting in abnormally acidic bodily fluids and blood)

• Respiratory arrest and cardiopulmonary arrest

• Respiratory failure