Approach to pulmonary causes of dyspnea

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Dyspnea is a clinical term that describes the feeling of breathlessness and shortness of breath in healthy subjects, as well as people with diseases that affect the respiratory system. Dyspnea has a complex pathophysiology. The leading cause in the etiology of dyspnea is the respiratory problems, however cardiovascular, metabolic and neurologic diseases are also frequently observed in dyspnea. Geriatric patients have higher prevalence of respiratory diseases as a result of the changes in the anatomy, physiology and function of the respiratory system. Comorbid factors also contribute to this high prevalence and the response to treatment is weaker in geriatric patients than in young adults. Geriatric patients with dyspnea may admit to hospital with various clinical presentations and there are constraints in diagnostic and therapeutic approaches. Therefore, this vulnerable population requires special health care in diagnosis and therapy and critical differential diagnosis with a multidisciplinary approach. Main pulmonary causes of acute dyspnea in geriatric patients are pulmonary embolism, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, respiratory tract infections, pneumothorax and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). A clinical approach taking into account the factors that make geriatric patients more fragile will increase the possibility of accurate diagnosis and the success of treatment in respiratory diseases presenting with acute dyspnea.

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Acute dyspnea , asthma , chronic obstructive pulmonary disease , geriatric patients , pulmonary embolism , respiratory tract infections

Ege Journal Of Medicine

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Ege Journal Of Medicine