Is It Possible To Have Shortness Of Breath And High Heart Rate Due To Anxiety Even Without Feeling Any Anxiousness Or Fearfulness At All?
This could be anxiety.
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
Yes, anxiety can result in symptoms like shortness of breath and high heart rate even when the individual doesn't has any anxiousness or fear symptoms. However, before making anxiety as a diagnosis of these symptoms, other causes should be ruled out.
Cardiac causes have been ruled out as your cardiac evaluation revealed nothing. Respiratory causes should also be ruled out. Generalized weakness could result in such symptoms especially vitamin B12 deficiency, anemia especially of iron deficiency.
In anxiety, sometimes palpitations are seen as the sole presenting symptom. This provokes rapid breathing and CO2 wash out which results in feeling as if there is shortness of breath. To compensate this, rapid breathing is done and deep inspiration is done. This finally leads to a vicious cycle of rapid breathing or breathlessness. So yes, anxiety could lead to such symptoms. Treatment of anxiety should help to settle down the symptoms.
Hope I have answered your query. Please don't hesitate to ask again form more doubts.
Thank you and take care.
Regards,
Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi
Psychiatrist
Even in that case, this could be due to anxiety.
Detailed Answer:
Hello again
Anxiety could cause similar presentation but as I mentioned in my last answer other causes should be ruled out. Even if you don't have any palpitations even then that could be anxiety. If you have any ongoing stress or you had anxiety symptoms in past then this could be part of that anxiety.
However, anemia and low vitamin B12 levels should be ruled out before making anxiety as a diagnosis.
Hope I have answered your query.
Thank you.
Regards,
Dr. Seikhoo Bishnoi
Psychiatrist