Compare the Difference Between Similar Terms

Difference Between

Home / Health / Medicine / Diseases /呼吸困难和呼吸短促的区别

呼吸困难和呼吸短促的区别

July 21, 2017Posted byRanidu

Key Difference – Dyspnea vs Shortness of Breath

Dyspnea is the feeling of an uncomfortable need to breathe. Shortness of breath is when the rate ofrespirationincreases in order to meet the increased demand for oxygen by the body. Dyspnea is brought about by an interruption to the normal mechanism of breathing. When there is such an interruption, the distribution of oxygen to the tissues decreases and carbon dioxide starts to accumulate inside the body. This hypoxic and hypercapnic environment stimulates the respiratory center of the brain to increase the rate of respiration so that the required oxygen can be taken in rapidly and the unwanted carbon dioxide can be expelled out of the body without letting the carbon dioxide level to reach the toxic threshold. Thus, shortness of breath can be considered as an extension of the dyspnea. The key difference between dyspnea and shortness of breath is thatdyspnea is the uncomfortable need to breathewhereasshortness of breath is increased rate of respiration in order to meet the oxygen demand of the body.

CONTENTS

1.Overview and Key Difference
2.What is Dyspnea
3.What is Shortness of Breath
4.Similarities Between Dyspnea and Shortness of Breath
5.Side by Side Comparison – Dyspnea vs Shortness of Breath in Tabular Form
6.Summary

What is Dyspnea?

Dyspnea is defined as the feeling of an uncomfortable need to breathe. According to the duration, dyspnea can be categorized into two categories as

  • Acute severe breathlessness
  • Chronic exertional breathlessness

Chronic Exertional Breathlessness

Dyspnea that lasts for long duration is called chronic exertional breathlessness. Features of this condition differ depending on the underlying pathology.

Diagnosis

Therefore several important questions should be asked during the history taking.

  1. How is your breathing at rest and at night?

InCOPD,the breathlessness is minimum at rest but it is exacerbated by exercise. In asthmatics, dyspnea worsens at night resulting in sleep disturbances which the patient promptly complains of. There will be orthopnea if the patient is having acardiac failure.

  1. How long can you walk without becoming breathless?

Progressive loss of exercise capacity is a feature of COPD. Inasthma, a unique variability of the exercise capacity is seen. On the other hand, if the patient is dyspneic even at rest, then the patient is more likely to be suffering from interstitialfibrosis.

  1. Were there any respiratory problems during childhood?

Any过敏原capable of eliciting an anaphylactic reaction should be identified.

  1. Are there any other associated symptoms?

Causes

  • Chronic asthma
  • Chronic heart failure
  • Myocardial ischemia
  • COPD
  • Bronchial carcinoma
  • Interstitial lung disease
  • Chronic pulmonary thromboembolism
  • Large pleural effusion
  • Lymphatic carcinomatosis
  • Severe anemia

    Key Difference - Dyspnea vs Shortness of Breath

    Figure 01: Dyspnea

Acute Severe Breathlessness

This is a medical emergency.

History and Clinical Assessment

During the history taking questions should be asked about the,

  • Rate of onset of breathlessness
  • Severity
  • Presence of associated symptoms such as chest pain

In paediatric patients, always consider the possibility of acute epiglottitis and a foreign body obstructing the airway.

Important features that should be assessed during the clinical assessment are,

  • Level of consciousness
  • Degree of central cyanosis
  • Signs ofanaphylaxissuch as urticarial
  • Patency of the upper airway
  • Ability to speak
  • Cardiovascular status

What is Shortness of Breath?

Shortness of breath is actually the increased rate of respiration where the inspiration and expiration happen at a rapid pace in order to meet the oxygen demand of the body and to rapidly remove the carbon dioxide that has accumulated in the tissues.

As previously mentioned, shortness of breath can be considered as an extension of the dyspnea. Here the pathological changes inside the body which give rise to breathlessness move one step ahead to cause shortness of breath by stimulating the respiratory center of the brain.

呼吸困难和呼吸短促的区别

Figure 02: Inspiration and Expiration

Causes

  • Asthma
  • Pregnancy
  • Deconditioning
  • Hiatal hernia
  • Pneumothorax
  • Cardiac failure
  • Pulmonary edema
  • Sarcoidosis
  • Interstitial lung diseases

What are the Similarities Between Dyspnea and Shortness of Breath?

  • Dyspnea and shortness of breath share common causes.
  • Pathological basis of both conditions is the same.

What is the Difference Between Dyspnea and Shortness of Breath?

Dyspnea vs Shortness of Breath

Dyspnea is the feeling of an uncomfortable need to breathe. Shortness of breath is the increased rate of respiration in order to meet the increased demand for oxygen by the body.
Type
Dyspnea leads to shortness of breath. Shortness of breath is an extension of dyspnea.

Summary – Dyspnea vs Shortness of Breath

从我们这里讨论obvious that there is only a subtle difference between dyspnea and shortness of breath. Since most of the causes of them are similar, it is more important to identify the relevant cause than trying to differentiate between the two conditions.

Download PDF Version of Dyspnea vs Shortness of Breath

You can download PDF version of this article and use it for offline purposes as per citation note. Please download PDF version here呼吸困难和呼吸短促的区别.

Reference:
1. Walker Brian, Nicki R. Colledge, Stuart Ralston, and Ian Penman, eds.Davidson’s Principles and Practice of Medicine. 22nd ed. N.p.: Elsevier Health Sciences, 2013. Print.
Image Courtesy:

1. “Man Wearing Polo Shirt Holding Left Chest” (CC0) via Pexels
2. “2316 Inspiration and Expiration” By OpenStax College – Anatomy & Physiology,Connexions Web site.Jun 19, 2013. (CC BY 3.0) viaCommons Wikimedia

Related posts:

Difference Between Gastric and Duodenal Ulcers Difference Between Acute and Chronic Gastritis Difference Between Mononucleosis and Strep Throat Difference Between Amnesia and Dementia Difference Between Hemorrhage and HematomaDifference Between Hemorrhage and Hematoma

Filed Under:DiseasesTagged With:Acute severe breathlessness,Chronic exertional breathlessness,Compare Dyspnea and Shortness of Breath,DYSPNEA,Dyspnea and Shortness of Breath Differences,Dyspnea and Shortness of Breath Relationship,Dyspnea and Shortness of Breath Similarities,Dyspnea Cause,Dyspnea Causes,Dyspnea Definition,Dyspnea Diagnosis,Dyspnea vs Shortness of Breath,shortness of breath,Shortness of Breath Causes,Shortness of Breath Definition

About the Author:Ranidu

Ranidu is passionate about writing articles on medical topics in general parlance. His experience in communicating with the general public during his medical practice has enabled him to describe facts that a layman has to know about a particular disorder in a concise and understandable manner.

Leave a ReplyCancel reply

Your email address will not be published.Required fields are marked*

Request Article

Featured Posts

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and Cold Symptoms

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and SARS

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Influenza

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

Difference Between Coronavirus and Covid 19

You May Like

Difference Between Farewell and Send off

Difference Between O and H Antigen

Difference Between O and H Antigen

Difference Between Amtrak Value and Premium

Difference Between Amtrak Value and Premium

Difference Between Netbook and Netbook for Kids

Difference Between Sorry and Apology

Difference Between Sorry and Apology

Latest Posts

  • What is the Difference Between Molecular Formula and Structural Formula
  • What is the Difference Between Acne and Eczema
  • What is the Difference Between Mutation Rate and Substitution Rate
  • What is the Difference Between Vermicompost and Compost
  • What is the Difference Between Depression and Schizophrenia
  • What is the Difference Between Molecular Geometry and Electron Geometry
  • Home
  • Vacancies
  • About
  • Request Article
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2010-2018Difference Between. All rights reserved.Terms of Useand Privacy Policy:Legal.