Many different conditions can lead to the feeling of dyspnea (shortness of breath). DiagnosisPro, an online medical expert system, listed 497 in October 2010. The most common cardiovascular causes are acute myocardial infarction and congestive heart failure while common pulmonary causes include: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, pneumothorax, and pneumonia.

Pulmonary

Obstructive lung diseases Asthma Bronchitis Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease Cystic fibrosis Emphysema Hookworm disease Diseases of lung parenchyma and pleura Contagious Anthrax through inhalation of Bacillus anthracis Pneumonia COVID-19 Non-contagious Fibrosing alveolitis Atelectasis Hypersensitivity pneumonitis Interstitial lung disease Lung cancer Pleural effusion Pneumoconiosis Pneumothorax Non-cardiogenic pulmonary edema or acute respiratory distress syndrome Sarcoidosis Pulmonary vascular diseases Acute or recurrent pulmonary emboli Pulmonary hypertension, primary or secondary Pulmonary veno-occlusive disease Superior vena cava syndrome

Other causes

Obstruction of the airway Cancer of the larynx or pharynx Empty nose syndrome Pulmonary aspiration Epiglottitis Laryngeal edema Vocal cord dysfunction Immobilization of the diaphragm Lesion of the phrenic nerve Polycystic liver disease Tumor in the diaphragm Restriction of the chest volume Ankylosing spondylitis Broken ribs Kyphosis of the spine Obesity Costochondritis Pectus excavatum Scoliosis Disorders of the cardiovascular system Aortic dissection Cardiomyopathy Congenital heart disease CREST syndrome Heart failure Ischaemic heart disease Malignant hypertension Pericardium disorders, including: Cardiac tamponade Constrictive pericarditis Pericardial effusion Pulmonary edema Pulmonary embolism Pulmonary hypertension Valvular heart disease Disorders of the blood and metabolism Anemia Hypothyroidism Adrenal insufficiency Metabolic acidosis Sepsis Leukemia Holocarboxylase synthetase deficiency Disorders of the neurological system Ischemic stroke (when it occurs in the brain stem) Brain bleed (when it occurs in the brain stem) Disorders affecting breathing nerves and muscles Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Guillain–Barré syndrome Multiple sclerosis Myasthenia gravis Parsonage Turner syndrome Eaton-Lambert syndrome Chronic fatigue syndrome Immune disorders Dyspnea can be a symptom of mast cell activation syndrome (MCAS). Psychological conditions Anxiety disorders and panic attacks Medications Fentanyl Other Carbon monoxide poisoning Pregnancy

References