Breathlessness, palpitations, fatigue, reduces during activity
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Short of breath sometimes and when laying down I can feel every heart beat and slight pressure in the night and morning and then when active it goes away
Posted Sat, 5 May 2012
in Hypertension and Heart Disease
Answered by Dr. Rakhi Tayal 21 minutes later
Hello.
Thanks for writing to us.
Occasional episodes of palpitations and bouts of breathlessness in a individual that do not cause severe problems can be due to normal variations of the body.
In your case, if it was a single episode and has not recurred again, then there is no need to be worried. In case the symptoms are recurrent, the cause needs to be identified.
The cause of the palpitations, shortness of breath and fatigue could be due to :-
1. Cardiac causes (Hypertension, Arrhythmias).
2. Lung related issues (exercise induced asthma, etc).
3. Hyperthyroidism.
4. Anemia.
Hence you would benefit by consulting your primary doctor and getting evaluated with a few tests as mentioned below-
1. Complete blood counts.
2. ECG in all leads with a rhythm strip in lead 2.
3. Lipid profile, Blood sugar (Fasting and Post prandial), HBA1C,
4. Thyroid function tests.
In case, the above tests indicate any abnormality, further tests need to be done which include:-
1. Holter monitor.
2. Echocardiography.
3. Chest X-ray.
4. Lung function tests.
5. Tread mill test.
It is important to rule out the exact cause after physical examination and above mentioned investigations.
I hope this helps.
I will be available for follow up questions if any.
Regards,
Thanks for writing to us.
Occasional episodes of palpitations and bouts of breathlessness in a individual that do not cause severe problems can be due to normal variations of the body.
In your case, if it was a single episode and has not recurred again, then there is no need to be worried. In case the symptoms are recurrent, the cause needs to be identified.
The cause of the palpitations, shortness of breath and fatigue could be due to :-
1. Cardiac causes (Hypertension, Arrhythmias).
2. Lung related issues (exercise induced asthma, etc).
3. Hyperthyroidism.
4. Anemia.
Hence you would benefit by consulting your primary doctor and getting evaluated with a few tests as mentioned below-
1. Complete blood counts.
2. ECG in all leads with a rhythm strip in lead 2.
3. Lipid profile, Blood sugar (Fasting and Post prandial), HBA1C,
4. Thyroid function tests.
In case, the above tests indicate any abnormality, further tests need to be done which include:-
1. Holter monitor.
2. Echocardiography.
3. Chest X-ray.
4. Lung function tests.
5. Tread mill test.
It is important to rule out the exact cause after physical examination and above mentioned investigations.
I hope this helps.
I will be available for follow up questions if any.
Regards,
Follow-up: Breathlessness, palpitations, fatigue, reduces during activity 7 hours later
This usually happens when I am more inactive than active. Also it is more when I get up in the morning until afternoon. Then it is better
Answered by Dr. Rakhi Tayal 2 hours later
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