Shortness of breath in heart patients

Shortness of breath that occurs due to heart diseases progresses slowly. That’s why it can take time to notice. Anadolu Health Center Cardiology Specialist Assoc. Dr. Ertan Ökmen says that people who get tired and out of breath more quickly than before despite making little effort should pay attention to these symptoms and see a cardiologist.

What could shortness of breath be a symptom of?

Heart-related diseases often underlie the symptoms of shortness of breath. The most common among these diseases is heart failure. As a result of blockage of the heart vessels, loss of function of the blocked vessel, and inability of the heart muscle to contract properly, heart failure and resulting shortness of breath occur.

Hypertension patients should be more careful about shortness of breath

One third of the population in Turkey suffers from hypertension. Shortness of breath while walking on the road or climbing stairs may indicate heart diseases. Therefore, causes such as heart failure, hypertension and vascular occlusion should be investigated. In addition, diseases related to heart valves can also cause shortness of breath in advanced stages. There are two types of shortness of breath caused by blood pressure: “In one, it causes heart failure by enlarging the heart; In the other, it causes the same problems by reducing the flexibility of the heart and thickening the heart walls. To the patient who applied to the cardiology department with a complaint of shortness of breath; First of all, they are asked whether they have hypertension, a history of heart attack in their family or themselves, and vascular occlusion. Smoking during illness can also cause vascular occlusion as well as lung occlusion.

What causes shortness of breath?

Physicians can detect valve-related problems while listening to the heart. A previous heart attack can cause shortness of breath. This can be seen with an ECG (Electrocardiogram). With the effort test, it is possible to learn under what conditions, at what minute, how many meters of walking the patient’s shortness of breath occurs when walking on the belt, and whether the blood pressure increases while walking. The test that diagnoses whether shortness of breath originates from the heart is undoubtedly echocardiography. With this test, the strength, size, functions, muscle thickness, valves and structural disorders of the heart can be easily revealed. As a result of the data obtained from these tests, it can be determined with a rate of 90 percent whether the shortness of breath is related to the heart or not.

Take these signs seriously

People who start to complain of shortness of breath,

• If there is a family history of heart disease at an early age,

• If they smoke,

• If they are diabetic,

• If they are extremely obese,

• If you have hypertension,

• If they are experiencing extreme stress,

• If you have high salt consumption,

It is recommended that they see a cardiologist as soon as possible.