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What Causes Shortness Of Breath After Physical Activity?
Question: Hi. I'm 37 years old overweight woman. I feel that any physical exercise including stairs make me short of breath. Sometimes I feel short of breath Even without any physical activity. No cough, no Crest pain, just the need to breath deep in order to feel that in getting enough air. What can be causing this issue. Should I be worried?
Brief Answer:
investigation is required
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
being overweight should not cause significant problems to your everyday tasks. Feeling short of breath without physical activity is definitely abnormal. Investigation is required. I'll mention some important things to consider.
- heart failure: it's not common for 37 years old women. Your doctor may detect signs of heart failure during clinical examination and order the appropriate further tests (a heart echo would be very useful).
- COPD or asthma: usually present with shortness of breath but also with wheezing and cough. A history of asthma or heavy smoking may be an indicator. Spirometry may diagnose such conditions with ease.
- various lung problems (fluid in the lungs, pulmonary embolism, infections, etc): A chest x-ray and clinical examination may exclude most of them.
- anemia: a very low hematocrit may make every physical activity harder. A full blood count is enough to confirm or exclude it. Iron deficiency anemia is very common in women of reproductive age.
- thyroid disease: serious thyroid disease may cause severe weakness and tiredness. Measuring serum TSH should suffice for screening.
- other causes: less common causes may include electrolyte disorders, infections and other less common conditions like tumors, autoimmune disorders, etc. Your doctor should detect clues to the diagnosis and organize the investigation strategy.
So in conclusion, some basic investigation is required, starting with clinical examination by your doctor. Sometimes it's anxiety or just an exaggerated lack of physical fitness but investigation is definitely required.
Kind Regards!
investigation is required
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
being overweight should not cause significant problems to your everyday tasks. Feeling short of breath without physical activity is definitely abnormal. Investigation is required. I'll mention some important things to consider.
- heart failure: it's not common for 37 years old women. Your doctor may detect signs of heart failure during clinical examination and order the appropriate further tests (a heart echo would be very useful).
- COPD or asthma: usually present with shortness of breath but also with wheezing and cough. A history of asthma or heavy smoking may be an indicator. Spirometry may diagnose such conditions with ease.
- various lung problems (fluid in the lungs, pulmonary embolism, infections, etc): A chest x-ray and clinical examination may exclude most of them.
- anemia: a very low hematocrit may make every physical activity harder. A full blood count is enough to confirm or exclude it. Iron deficiency anemia is very common in women of reproductive age.
- thyroid disease: serious thyroid disease may cause severe weakness and tiredness. Measuring serum TSH should suffice for screening.
- other causes: less common causes may include electrolyte disorders, infections and other less common conditions like tumors, autoimmune disorders, etc. Your doctor should detect clues to the diagnosis and organize the investigation strategy.
So in conclusion, some basic investigation is required, starting with clinical examination by your doctor. Sometimes it's anxiety or just an exaggerated lack of physical fitness but investigation is definitely required.
Kind Regards!
Note: For more detailed guidance, please consult an Internal Medicine Specialist, with your latest reports. Click here..
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
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