Not enough air: causes of breathing difficulties - cardiogenic, pulmonary, psychogenic, others

Breathing is a natural physiological act that occurs constantly and to which most of us do not pay attention, because the body itself regulates the depth and frequency breathing movements depending on the situation. The feeling of not having enough air is probably familiar to everyone. It may appear after a quick run, climbing stairs to a high floor, or with strong excitement, but a healthy body quickly copes with such shortness of breath, bringing breathing back to normal.

If short-term shortness of breath after exercise does not cause serious concerns, quickly disappearing during rest, then long-term or suddenly arising sudden difficulty breathing can signal a serious pathology, often requiring immediate treatment. Acute lack of air when the airways are blocked by a foreign body, pulmonary edema, or an asthmatic attack can cost life, so any respiratory disorder requires clarification of its cause and timely treatment.

Not only the respiratory system is involved in the process of breathing and providing tissues with oxygen, although its role, of course, is paramount. It is impossible to imagine breathing without proper operation muscular frame of the chest and diaphragm, heart and blood vessels, brain. Breathing is influenced by the composition of the blood, hormonal status, activity of the nerve centers of the brain and many external reasons - sports training, abundant food, emotions.

The body successfully adapts to fluctuations in the concentration of gases in the blood and tissues, increasing the frequency of respiratory movements if necessary. When there is a lack of oxygen or an increased need for it, breathing becomes more frequent. Acidosis accompanying a number of infectious diseases, fever, tumors provokes increased breathing to remove excess carbon dioxide from the blood and normalize its composition. These mechanisms turn on themselves, without our will or effort, but in some cases they become pathological.

Any respiratory disorder, even if its cause seems obvious and harmless, requires examination and a differentiated approach to treatment, therefore, if you feel that there is not enough air, it is better to immediately go to a doctor - a general practitioner, cardiologist, neurologist, or psychotherapist.

Causes and types of breathing problems

When a person has difficulty breathing and lacks air, they speak of shortness of breath. This sign is considered an adaptive act in response to an existing pathology or reflects a natural physiological process adaptation to changing external conditions. In some cases it becomes difficult to breathe, but unpleasant feeling lack of air does not occur, since hypoxia is eliminated by an increased frequency of respiratory movements - in case of poisoning carbon monoxide, work in breathing apparatus, a sharp rise to altitude.

Dyspnea can be inspiratory or expiratory. In the first case, there is not enough air when inhaling, in the second - when exhaling, but it is also possible mixed type when it is difficult to both inhale and exhale.

Shortness of breath does not always accompany illness; it can be physiological, and this is quite natural state. The causes of physiological shortness of breath are:

• Physical exercise;
• Excitement, strong emotional experiences;
• Being in a stuffy, poorly ventilated room, in the highlands.

Physiological increased breathing occurs reflexively and goes away after a short time. People with bad physical fitness Those who have a sedentary “office” job suffer from shortness of breath in response to physical effort more often than those who regularly visit the gym, swimming pool, or simply do daily exercise. hiking. As the overall physical development, shortness of breath occurs less frequently.

Pathological shortness of breath can develop acutely or be a constant concern, even at rest, significantly worsening with the slightest physical effort. A person suffocates when the airways are quickly closed by a foreign body, swelling of the tissues of the larynx, lungs and others severe conditions. When breathing in this case, the body does not receive the required even minimum amount of oxygen, and other severe disturbances are added to shortness of breath.

The main pathological reasons why it is difficult to breathe are:

• Diseases of the respiratory system - pulmonary shortness of breath;
• Pathology of the heart and blood vessels - cardiac shortness of breath;
• Violations nervous regulation act of breathing - shortness of breath of the central type;
• Violation of the blood gas composition - hematogenous shortness of breath.

Heart reasons

Heart disease is one of the most common reasons why it becomes difficult to breathe. The patient complains that he does not have enough air and notes the appearance of swelling in the legs, fatigue, etc. Typically, patients whose breathing is impaired due to changes in the heart are already examined and even take appropriate medications, but shortness of breath can not only persist, but in some cases it gets worse.

With heart pathology, there is not enough air when inhaling, that is, inspiratory shortness of breath. It accompanies, can persist even at rest in its severe stages, and is aggravated at night when the patient is lying down.

The most common reasons:

1. Arrhythmias;
2. and myocardial dystrophy;
3. Defects - congenital ones lead to shortness of breath in childhood and even the neonatal period;
4. Inflammatory processes in the myocardium, pericarditis;
5. Heart failure.

The occurrence of breathing difficulties in cardiac pathology is most often associated with the progression of heart failure, in which there is either no adequate cardiac output and tissues suffer from hypoxia, or congestion occurs in the lungs due to failure of the left ventricular myocardium ().

In addition to shortness of breath, often combined with dry, painful pain, in people with cardiac pathology, other characteristic complaints arise that make diagnosis somewhat easier - pain in the heart area, “evening” swelling, cyanosis skin, interruptions in the heart. It becomes more difficult to breathe in a lying position, so most patients even sleep half-sitting, thus reducing the inflow venous blood from the legs to the heart and manifestations of shortness of breath.

symptoms of heart failure

During an attack of cardiac asthma, which can quickly turn into alveolar pulmonary edema, the patient literally suffocates - the respiratory rate exceeds 20 per minute, the face turns blue, swells jugular veins, sputum becomes foamy. Pulmonary edema requires emergency care.

Treatment of cardiac dyspnea depends on the underlying cause that caused it. An adult patient with heart failure is prescribed diuretics (furosemide, veroshpiron, diacarb), ACE inhibitors(lisinopril, enalapril, etc.), beta blockers and antiarrhythmics, cardiac glycosides, oxygen therapy.

Diuretics (diacarb) are indicated for children, and drugs of other groups are strictly dosed due to possible side effects and contraindications in childhood. Congenital defects, in which the child begins to choke from the very first months of life, may require urgent surgical correction and even heart transplants.

Pulmonary causes

Pathology of the lungs is the second reason leading to difficulty breathing, and both difficulty in inhaling and exhaling is possible. Pulmonary pathology with respiratory failure is:

• Chronic obstructive diseases - asthma, bronchitis, pneumosclerosis, pneumoconiosis, pulmonary emphysema;
• Pneumo- and hydrothorax;
• Tumors;
• Foreign bodies of the respiratory tract;
• in the branches pulmonary arteries.

Chronic inflammatory and sclerotic changes in the pulmonary parenchyma greatly contribute to respiratory failure. They are aggravated by smoking, poor environmental conditions, and recurrent infections of the respiratory system. Shortness of breath is initially disturbing during physical exertion, gradually becoming permanent as the disease progresses to a more severe and irreversible stage of its course.

With lung pathology, the gas composition of the blood is disrupted, and a lack of oxygen occurs, which, first of all, is lacking in the head and brain. Severe hypoxia provokes metabolic disorders in nerve tissue and the development of encephalopathy.

Patients with bronchial asthma are well aware of how breathing is disrupted during an attack: it becomes very difficult to exhale, discomfort and even pain in the chest appears, arrhythmia is possible, sputum is difficult to separate when coughing and is extremely scarce, the neck veins swell. Patients with such shortness of breath sit with their hands on their knees - this position reduces venous return and the load on the heart, alleviating the condition. Most often, it is difficult for such patients to breathe and lack air at night or in the early morning hours.

In a severe asthmatic attack, the patient suffocates, the skin becomes bluish, panic and some disorientation are possible, and status asthmaticus may be accompanied by convulsions and loss of consciousness.

For breathing problems due to chronic pulmonary pathology The patient's appearance changes: the chest becomes barrel-shaped, the spaces between the ribs increase, the neck veins are large and dilated, as well as the peripheral veins of the extremities. The expansion of the right half of the heart against the background of sclerotic processes in the lungs leads to its failure, and shortness of breath becomes mixed and more severe, that is, not only the lungs cannot cope with breathing, but the heart cannot provide adequate blood flow, filling the venous part with blood great circle blood circulation

There is also not enough air in case pneumonia, pneumothorax, hemothorax. With inflammation of the pulmonary parenchyma, it becomes not only difficult to breathe, the temperature also rises, obvious signs intoxication, and the cough is accompanied by sputum production.

An extremely serious reason sudden violation breath is considered to be in Airways foreign body. This could be a piece of food or a small part of a toy that the baby accidentally inhales while playing. A victim with a foreign body begins to choke, turns blue, quickly loses consciousness, and cardiac arrest is possible if help does not arrive in time.

Thromboembolism pulmonary vessels can also lead to sudden and rapidly increasing shortness of breath and cough. It occurs more often in a person suffering from pathology of the blood vessels of the legs, heart, destructive processes in the pancreas. With thromboembolism, the condition can be extremely severe with increasing asphyxia, bluish skin, rapid cessation of breathing and heartbeat.

In children, shortness of breath is most often associated with a foreign body entering during play, pneumonia, or swelling of the laryngeal tissue. Croup- swelling with stenosis of the larynx, which can accompany a wide variety of inflammatory processes, ranging from banal laryngitis to diphtheria. If the mother notices that the baby is breathing frequently, turning pale or blue, showing obvious anxiety or breathing and stopping altogether, then you should immediately seek help. Severe breathing disorders in children are fraught with asphyxia and death.

In some cases, the cause of severe shortness of breath is allergy and Quincke's edema, which are also accompanied by stenosis of the lumen of the larynx. The reason may be food allergen, wasp sting, inhalation of pollen, medicinal product. In these cases, both the child and the adult require emergency health care for cupping allergic reaction, and in case of asphyxia, tracheostomy and artificial ventilation may be required.

Treatment pulmonary dyspnea must be differentiated. If the cause is a foreign body, then it must be removed as quickly as possible, with allergic edema administration is indicated for children and adults antihistamines, glucocorticoid hormones, adrenaline. In case of asphyxia, a tracheo- or conicotomy is performed.

For bronchial asthma, treatment is multi-stage, including beta-adrenergic agonists (salbutamol) in sprays, anticholinergics (ipratropium bromide), methylxanthines (aminophylline), glucocorticosteroids (triamcinolone, prednisolone).

Acute and chronic inflammatory processes require antibacterial and detoxification therapy, and compression of the lungs with pneumo- or hydrothorax, obstruction of the airways by a tumor is an indication for surgery (puncture pleural cavity, thoracotomy, removal of part of the lung, etc.).

Cerebral causes

In some cases, breathing difficulties are associated with brain damage, because the most important organs are located there. nerve centers regulating the activity of the lungs, blood vessels, and heart. Shortness of breath of this type is characteristic of structural damage to brain tissue - trauma, neoplasm, stroke, edema, encephalitis, etc.

Violations respiratory function in pathologies of the brain are very diverse: it is possible both a decrease in breathing and its increase, the appearance different types pathological breathing. Many patients with severe brain pathology are on artificial ventilation lungs, because they simply cannot breathe on their own.

The toxic effect of microbial waste products and fever leads to an increase in hypoxia and acidification of the internal environment of the body, which causes shortness of breath - the patient breathes frequently and noisily. In this way, the body strives to quickly get rid of excess carbon dioxide and provide tissues with oxygen.

Relatively harmless reason cerebral dyspnea can be considered functional disorders in brain and peripheral activity nervous system-, neurosis, hysteria. In these cases, shortness of breath is of a “nervous” nature, and in some cases this is noticeable to the naked eye, even to a non-specialist.

With intercostal neuralgia, the patient feels severe pain in half of the chest, which intensifies with movement and inhalation; especially impressionable patients may panic, breathe quickly and shallowly. With osteochondrosis, it is difficult to breathe, and constant pain in the spine can provoke chronic shortness of breath, which can be difficult to distinguish from difficulty breathing due to pulmonary or cardiac pathology.

Treatment for difficulty breathing due to musculoskeletal conditions includes physical therapy, physiotherapy, massage, drug support in the form of anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics.

Many expectant mothers complain that as their pregnancy progresses, it becomes more difficult for them to breathe. This sign may be quite normal, because the growing uterus and fetus raise the diaphragm and reduce the expansion of the lungs, hormonal changes and the formation of the placenta contribute to an increase in the number of respiratory movements to provide the tissues of both organisms with oxygen.

However, during pregnancy, breathing should be carefully assessed so as not to miss a serious pathology behind its seemingly natural increase, which could be anemia, thromboembolic syndrome, progression of heart failure due to a defect in the woman, etc.

One of the most dangerous reasons According to which a woman may begin to choke during pregnancy, pulmonary embolism is considered. This condition is life-threatening and is accompanied by a sharp increase in breathing, which becomes noisy and ineffective. Asphyxia and death without emergency assistance are possible.

Thus, having considered only the most common reasons difficulty breathing, it becomes clear that this symptom can indicate dysfunction of almost all organs or systems of the body, and in some cases it can be difficult to identify the main pathogenic factor. Patients who have difficulty breathing require a thorough examination, and if the patient is suffocating, emergency qualified assistance is needed.

Any case of shortness of breath requires a trip to the doctor to find out its cause; self-medication in this case is unacceptable and can lead to very serious consequences. This is especially true for breathing problems in children, pregnant women and sudden attacks shortness of breath in people of any age.

Video: what prevents you from breathing? The program “Live Healthy!”

“The heart is beating heavily” - this is how patients can characterize a fairly wide range of sensations. This may include a slow heartbeat, a feeling of tightness in the chest, pain when breathing, and other types of discomfort.

Heavy heartbeat can be a symptom of many diseases

The feeling that the heart is beating hard and often can give various pathologies. Among them the most common:

• – causes a feeling of irregularities, palpitations, fatigue and other disturbances.
• – increases the load on the heart, which can cause a feeling of heavy heartbeat.
• Inflammatory processes in the heart are a fairly rare and very serious pathology.
• Non-inflammatory changes (dystrophy or sclerosis of the myocardium) – dangerous condition which leads to development.
• – increase the load, disrupt the movement of blood in the myocardium, and create conditions for the development of heart failure.

It should be said that after intense physical activity, the feeling of a strong heartbeat is completely normal - this is a natural reaction, and your health returns to normal after rest. You should be wary when even light physical activity causes a feeling of palpitations, or the ability to endure physical labor begins to decrease.

In addition, the sensation of heartbeat can occur in healthy children under 7 years of age - this is also normal phenomenon, which passes quickly. If this is not the case, and the feeling of palpitations occurs frequently, intensifying with physical or emotional stress, the baby should be taken to a pediatrician.

Possible additional symptoms

You should pay attention to a number of additional symptoms that occur in the patient along with the feeling of palpitations. This may be fatigue, shortness of breath, headache, darkening of the eyes, etc. These symptoms may indicate the cause of the pathology.

The most common combination is heartbeat and. The mechanism of their occurrence is quite simple - the patient experiences hypoxia, which forces the heart and lungs to work harder. This combination normally occurs after physical activity or emotional experiences - at this time the tissue need for oxygen increases. This combination is also typical for heart defects, dystrophy and inflammatory changes in the myocardium and arterial hypertension.

The combination of palpitations and dizziness indicates oxygen starvation brain.

The appearance of this symptom means that the heart and lungs are unable to cope with their functions of providing the body with oxygen. This feeling can occur after very strong physical exertion, with heart disease, arrhythmias. The appearance of dizziness indicates a severe course of the disease.

Heart pain can occur with any disease circulatory system. Normally not typical. Their appearance is a sign that the heart cannot cope with the load, is experiencing hypoxia and deficiency nutrients. If you have a combination of heavy heartbeat and heart pain, you should make an appointment with a doctor as soon as possible, if the patient has not done so earlier.

Danger signs that require a doctor

A constant feeling of palpitations not associated with physical activity (or associated with its low intensity) should be a reason to consult a doctor. If there additional symptoms– shortness of breath, dizziness, pain in the heart, you can’t put off going to the cardiologist.

But in some cases, urgent help is needed:

1. The patient experiences orthostatic reactions (when taking vertical position darkens in the eyes).
2. The heartbeat does not stop at rest for more than half an hour.
3. Arose suddenly, accompanied sharp deterioration well-being.
4. The patient's consciousness is impaired.
5. Palpitations are accompanied by severe pain in the heart.

In these cases, you need to call an ambulance. The patient should not move - he should sit or lie down; all obstructive clothing (collar, tie, belt) should be unbuttoned. If it is possible to provide an influx of fresh air, you need to do this. The patient should not eat food, but can drink water. You should not take any medications (except nitroglycerin) until your doctor prescribes them.

What to do, what examinations need to be done?

The doctor begins examining the patient with an examination - some heart diseases give a very characteristic external picture. Then the doctor requires auscultation (listening) of the heart - characteristic noises allow experienced specialist make a preliminary diagnosis before receiving test results.

Laboratory data does not always reflect the characteristics of the processes occurring in the heart, but sometimes they can show what caused such a condition. The main examination methods in this case are instrumental. simplest instrumental method– tonometry (pressure measurement). But during inflammatory and dystrophic processes it can be normal or even reduced.

One of the very first surveys -. A cardiogram allows you to accurately determine changes in the electrical activity of the heart. In controversial cases, daily monitoring of electrical impulses is prescribed. It allows you to identify those pathologies that may not be noticeable with a conventional ECG. Most effective for diagnosing arrhythmias.

Echo-CG is necessary to see changes in the structure of the heart.

This study is most informative in the diagnosis of heart defects, blood flow disorders inside the cavities of the heart and large vessels. Also allows you to visualize changes in heart tissue with dystrophic or inflammatory processes, but on early stages may not show anything. In controversial cases, CT or CT is prescribed.

More information You can learn about rapid heartbeat from the video:

Bacteriological blood culture allows diagnosis infectious processes in heart. If they are present, there will definitely be an infection in the blood, and the analysis will identify the pathogen and determine its sensitivity to antibiotics.

Heart biopsy is a complex and dangerous method for the patient. It requires a sample of heart tissue, and based on the results of its examination under a microscope, a diagnosis can be made. dystrophic changes, cardiosclerosis, heart tumors. The method is associated with great risk for the patient, therefore it is prescribed only in cases where less dangerous methods do not produce results.

Features of treatment and prognosis

Treatment depends entirely on the causes of the disease. However, it is possible to identify several general recommendations which will help keep the heart in healthy condition:

• First of all, they relate to diet - the patient needs to reduce the amount of salt and liquid consumed in order to reduce the load on the heart. It is also recommended to exclude fatty foods.
• The second important recommendation is strict dosing of physical activity. They should not be too intense so as not to create excessive stress on the heart, but they should not be completely eliminated. Hiking, race walking, cycling, and light jogging will be useful. The level of permissible physical activity should be determined by a doctor.

Medicines prescribed by a doctor must be taken strictly at the same time. This is especially true for antiarrhythmic drugs. In this case, the prognosis is relatively favorable - to achieve complete cure usually not possible, but it can improve the patient's quality of life.

The causes of heart palpitations and shortness of breath do not have to be related to the heart or lungs. Sometimes the core of the problem lies in brain damage or changes in blood composition. If you take no action, then clinical picture will worsen, which will eventually lead to the development various complications. The doctor must identify the causative factor, focusing on the patient’s condition and diagnostic results.

An increased heart rate may be a reaction to external stimuli or indicate the development of diseases of cardio-vascular system and glands internal secretion. General list The reasons for an increase in heart rate (HR) are as follows:

• excessive physical exercise(at training, work);
• stress;
• lack of nutrients;
• hemodynamic failures;
• endocrine disorders;
• pathologies of the heart and blood vessels;
• colds accompanied by high fever;
• exposure to medications;
• alcohol consumption;
• smoking;
• abuse of caffeine and energy drinks.

Physiological arrhythmia can be eliminated by consulting with a specialist about discontinuing certain medications, adjusting your work and rest schedule, and changing your diet. In case of pathological reasons problems will have to resort to drug treatment. It is compiled based on the diagnostic results.

Why are the symptoms dangerous?

If there is not enough air, that is, it becomes difficult to breathe, and a rapid heartbeat appears, then we can talk about the development of a dangerous pathological process. The problem is most often associated with heart failure and coronary artery disease. In the first case, a person experiences shortness of breath (dyspnea), which intensifies with physical activity, and the pulse quickens due to the inability of the heart to provide adequate blood supply to the body. With ischemia, tachycardia develops due to impaired patency coronary vessels due to the development of atherosclerosis.

There are other causes for shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat:

• vegetative-vascular dystonia (VSD);
• myocardial infarction;
• panic attack;
• stroke.

Pathological causes are dangerous due to their complications. Constant hemodynamic disruptions lead to the formation of blood clots and dysfunction of internal organs.

If your heart beats strongly and it’s hard to breathe after stress, taking medications and physical overload, then the problem lies in the influence of physiological factors. This reaction often occurs in older people. The symptoms that arise can be eliminated by changing your lifestyle.

Why does it start to take your breath away?

Difficulty breathing (shortness of breath) is a sign of the body's adaptation to new conditions. In this case, it is not necessary that the person will suffocate, since the resulting hypoxia can be stopped by a rapid heartbeat. Similar phenomenon often occurs when working in breathing apparatus, rapid ascent and carbon monoxide poisoning.

Dyspnea is divided into expiratory and inspiratory. The first is characterized by difficulties when exhaling, and the second - when inhaling.

Most breathing problems are physiological:

• psycho-emotional stress;
• physical overload;
• staying in a poorly ventilated place.

Voiced breathing difficulties manifest themselves reflexively and go away on their own. Most often, an attack of tachycardia and shortness of breath occurs in fat people as a response to load. In athletes, such symptoms are found much less frequently.

The pathological form of shortness of breath manifests itself even at rest and intensifies with physical exertion. The patient must be given all possible assistance (call an ambulance, take steps to stabilize the condition) in order to avoid consequences.
The general list of reasons is as follows:

• pathologies of the respiratory system;
• cerebral causes;
• changes in blood composition;
• diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Heart muscle diseases

Usually the heart beats quickly and breathing is difficult in the presence of pathologies of the cardiovascular system:

• cardiomyopathy;
• heart failure;
• developmental defects;
• irregular heartbeat;
• inflammatory diseases of the membranes of the heart.

Manifested by severe symptoms:

• sweating, a feeling of lack of air and weakness appear;
• swelling occurs in the lower extremities;

• your head begins to feel dizzy and your heart begins to pound;
• the skin turns blue;
• there is a feeling of anxiety and tightness in the chest.

The most common cause of shortness of breath is heart failure. Against this background, pulmonary edema may develop, which is characterized by the following symptoms:

• increased respiratory rate;
• enlargement of cervical vessels;
• cough with foamy sputum;
• blue face.

The essence of therapy is to eliminate the causative factor, relieve the load on the heart muscle and stabilize its rhythm. The following are usually prescribed for long-term use: medicinal products:

• adrenaline blockers;
• cardiac glycosides;
• diuretics;
• angotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors.

Pathologies of the respiratory system

In diseases associated with the respiratory system, shortness of breath can occur both during inhalation and exhalation:

The clinical picture for respiratory diseases is usually as follows:

• shortness of breath, developing into suffocation;
• cough;
• secretion of sputum and blood;
• pain in the chest and neck area.

The course of treatment is drawn up depending on the causative factor:

• If a foreign body enters the respiratory tract, the patient must be given first aid in order to get it out faster.
• Allergic pulmonary edema is eliminated by the use of glucocorticoids, antihistamines and adrenaline.
• They save from asphyxia (suffocation) by performing tracheotomy and conicotomy.
• For asthma, you should take drugs representing the groups of beta-adrenergic agonists, glucocorticosteroids and anticholinergics.
• Inflammatory processes are eliminated using antibacterial and detoxification treatment.
• Tumors, pneumothorax and hydrothorax are treated with surgery.

Cerebral factors

When the brain is damaged, the heart beats strongly and it becomes difficult to breathe due to the localization of the most important regulatory centers of all departments and organs in this area. The reasons are usually the following:

The mentioned factors are characterized by severe neurological symptoms (impaired cognitive functions, paresis, paralysis, dizziness, headache, signs of paresthesia). The degree of recovery depends on the effectiveness of treatment and the severity of the pathological process.

Sometimes cerebral dyspnea occurs due to a malfunction in the autonomic nervous system caused by stress and mental overload. It manifests itself as follows:

• lack of air;
• panic attack;
• surges in blood pressure and pulse;
• excessive sweating;
• general weakness.

The treatment regimen depends on the cause. A combination is often required drug treatment with surgery. Disturbances in the nervous system are treated with sedatives.

Violation of blood composition

Changes in the composition of the blood are observed in the following cases:

The patient feels short of air, but there are no changes in the lungs and heart. The examination reveals disturbances in the electrolyte and gas balance.

The course of therapy is aimed at combating causative factor, saturation of the body useful substances and nutrition correction. Liver or kidney failure is treated with detoxification and infusion treatment.

There are other causes of shortness of breath that are not related to the heart, lungs, blood and brain:

• intervertebral hernia;
• osteochondrosis;
• intercostal neuralgia.

It becomes difficult and painful for patients to breathe. Discomfort increases when moving. The treatment is prescribed physiotherapy and anti-inflammatory drugs.

Expectant mothers experience breathlessness and increased heart rate due to the growth of the uterus. On early stages similar symptoms do not actually appear, but closer to the 3rd trimester, discomfort becomes noticeable.

What to do if you have a rapid heartbeat and shortness of breath?

At home, the following tips will help alleviate the condition:

• If the condition worsens indoors, then you need to open all the windows and lie down. It is advisable to remove clothing that is constricting your chest to make breathing easier.
• Take Valocardin or a sedative tincture (hawthorn, motherwort) to calm and dilate blood vessels.
• Breathe slowly and deeply. Inhalation should be done 1.5-2 times faster than exhalation.
• Holding your breath or coughing will help reduce your heart rate.

Frequent attacks of tachycardia and shortness of breath should be a reason to visit a cardiologist or therapist, especially if they are accompanied by other symptoms. Similar condition may be a harbinger of an impending heart attack or stroke.

You should visit a doctor as soon as possible if you have the following symptoms:

• a feeling of lack of air occurs under any load;
• weakness and dizziness appear;
• the attack begins for no reason and does not go away long time;
• serious disturbances in the heartbeat occur.

Diagnostic methods

For a doctor, a rapid heart rate combined with a feeling of shortness of breath is only a sign of a certain disease or pathological condition. He will interview the patient and conduct an examination, then prescribe a series of examinations to find the causative factor:

• blood and urine tests;
• radiography;
• computed and magnetic resonance imaging (CT and MRI);
• electrocardiogram (ECG);
• Ultrasound examination (ultrasound) of the heart.

Additionally, you may need to do daily ECG monitoring and bicycle ergometry. The first examination will show the work of the heart during the day, and the second during exercise. Based on the diagnostic results, the doctor will make a diagnosis or refer you to more to a specialist(neurologist, endocrinologist).

Features of treatment

It is necessary to treat not the increased heart rate and shortness of breath, but the causes that cause these symptoms. The treatment regimen is drawn up depending on the underlying pathological process.
May require medication, physical therapy, and surgery. It is necessary to combine the main course of treatment with lifestyle corrections and avoidance of irritating factors.

As symptomatic treatment The following groups of drugs are used:

• calcium channel blockers;
• diuretics;
• sedatives;
• adrenaline blockers;
• sartans.

Medicines can reduce nervous excitability, restore the usual heart rhythm, reduce the myocardial oxygen demand and stabilize blood pressure. They should be used strictly according to the scheme drawn up by the attending physician. It is prohibited to use antiarrhythmic drugs on your own.

The combination of lack of air and rapid heart rate is most often a consequence of the influence of physiological factors. It is enough for the patient to avoid them to improve the condition. If the symptoms that arise appear against the background of pathology, then you will have to use therapeutic agents to eliminate them. Before starting a course of therapy, it is necessary to be fully examined to accurately determine the causative factor.

Each person immediately feels the existing heart rhythm disturbances. The manifestations of rapid heartbeat are different for everyone: shocks may be felt that bring pain, or the heart may feel as if it is “jumping out” of the chest. Also, when the heart beats strongly, a feeling of weakness appears, profuse sweating, blood flow to the face and pulsation in the temporal part of the head.

When there are no problems with the heartbeat, people do not hear their heartbeats. At different physical conditions the heart rate changes, but without causing discomfort. Normal heart rate at rest, it is considered from 60 to 80 beats per minute.

Causes of palpitations

The phenomenon when the heart beats strongly and the heart rate is above one hundred beats per minute is called tachycardia. Even healthy man sometimes he feels that his heartbeat has become faster. Physiological reasons This phenomenon is not evidence of existing diseases. Tachycardia is normal in children under six years of age. Also, a strong heartbeat can appear as a result of:

Tachycardia is often not a separate disease. It may be a consequence of cardiovascular diseases, endocrine systems human tumors and infections. There are such types of tachycardia:

• Sinus – when the heart beats faster as a result of physical exertion and emotions. Occurs at a normal rhythm of up to 150 beats per minute. This phenomenon can occur in every person and does not require treatment if the heartbeat is normal at rest. Also, this type of tachycardia can be triggered by heart failure or problems with the thyroid gland;
• Paroxysmal - having a precise characteristic: a sudden, rapid heartbeat that ends just as quickly. During an attack, you may feel weak in the body, feel dizzy, or hear noises. In isolated cases, fainting occurs. The pulse can be up to 220 beats per minute. This type of tachycardia can be atrial (associated with disorders of the human autonomic nervous system) and ventricular (associated with the presence of pathological heart diseases). If you have an attack when your heart beats rapidly after drinking alcohol, smoking, caffeinated drinks or stimulants, you have atrial tachycardia. In order for the attacks to stop, it is necessary to eliminate the factor that provokes them from your lifestyle. Ventricular tachycardia provoke the following heart diseases: failure, ischemia, defect, cardiomyopathy, arterial hypertension.

When a person's heart beats strongly and it is difficult to breathe, the causes may be irregular heart rhythms called arrhythmias. Heart rate during arrhythmia can range from 150 to 300 beats per minute. The person will feel their heart “fluttering.” Symptoms of this disease:

A rapid heartbeat may indicate existing diseases that occur in a latent form. One of them is considered to be anemia, which is associated with a lack of iron in the body and a decrease in hemoglobin in the blood.

A huge number of people turn to the doctor with the question: “Why does my heart beat strongly when I go to bed?” This phenomenon may be a signal of dysfunction of the thyroid gland. Hyperthyroidism may also be accompanied by irritation, lack of good sleep, trembling fingers, rapid pulse, chest pain and shortness of breath.

Rapid heartbeat often occurs due to vegetative-vascular dystonia, accompanied by panic attacks, pain in the sternum, pulsations in the temporal part of the head and neck, shortness of breath and dizziness.

What to do if your heart beats fast

It is very important to determine the cause of your heart palpitations rather than trying to treat it yourself. Treatment should be aimed precisely at the root cause of the phenomenon, and not at suppressing its symptoms, so as not to further harm the heart.

Specialists in the treatment of rapid heartbeats may provide the following therapy:

1. Antiarrhythmic medications are prescribed that affect glycosides, helping to reduce heart rate and restore heart cells. Self-administration of such drugs is dangerous because there are a huge number of side effects. The dosage and frequency of taking antiarrhythmics is determined only by a specialist, taking into account the individual characteristics of your body and the course of the disease;
2. Atrial fibrillation to radically eliminate the causes of arrhythmia;
3. Installation of a pacemaker;
4. Catheter ablation.

You should not postpone your visit to the doctor if:

• at rest, rapid heartbeat lasts more than five minutes;
• heartbeats cause painful sensations;
• feeling dizzy or fainting;
• there are intervals between attacks;
• there is shortness of breath or lack of air;
• the eyes darken and the face turns red;
• tachycardia appears regularly, and you are not competent to determine the cause of this phenomenon.

If your heart suddenly starts beating faster, you should:

1. go outside or open the windows to get as much fresh air as possible;
2. get rid of tight clothes or unbutton them;
3. wash with cold water;
4. put something cold on your forehead;
5. drink half a glass of water in small sips;
6. Call an ambulance if the attack does not stop after five minutes.

There is no need to panic during an attack. Try to calm down and relax so that your heart rate returns to normal.

Rapid heartbeat or tachycardia is a disease in which there is a disruption in the frequency of contraction of the natural heart rhythm and general physiological restlessness of the body.

If a rapid heartbeat occurs due to anxiety or physical exertion, then this is a normal condition that does not cause harm to a person.

If cardio load is observed without obvious reasons, then this condition is dangerous for the body and indicates the development of the disease.

This is due to the fact that rapid heartbeat disrupts blood circulation in the heart muscles and increases its need for oxygen consumption, which in turn threatens the development of myocardial infarction.

What can trigger a rapid heartbeat?

Highlight following reasons development of rapid heartbeat:

1. Sleep disturbance. At the same time, both insomnia and nervous sleep can increase heart rate (fearful dreams affect the nervous system, and it also responds to them strong heartbeat, which a person may not even feel in a dream).
2. Taking some medicinal drugs, alcohol, and drugs can cause tachycardia. Moreover, so-called energy products (coffee, chocolate) can also cause anxiety, arrhythmia and then tachycardia.
3. Frequent stress and emotional overload.
4. Excessive physical stress on the body. Moreover, in this case, athletes who regularly exert a strong load on the myocardium are most susceptible to palpitations.
5. Pregnancy leads to an enlargement of the heart and, accordingly, an increase in heart rate by about a quarter. This is especially obvious in the early stages of bearing a child, when a woman suffers from severe toxicosis, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, dry mouth, weakness and other symptoms.
6. Obesity, especially in older people, very often leads to increased heart rate.

Additional causes of tachycardia may be:

1. Magnesium deficiency in the body.
2. Smoking.
3. Colds accompanied by elevated temperature.
4. Pathological diseases cardiovascular system (coronary disease, bradycardia, etc.). This also includes a previous myocardial infarction.
5. Hypertension (high blood pressure and rapid pulse).
6. Diseases of the hormonal system.
7. Menopause period in women.
8. Anemia.
9. Purulent infectious lesions.
10. Gastrointestinal diseases.

Before making a final diagnosis, it is necessary to understand what kind of tachycardia the patient has - paroxysmal (acute) or chronic.

At chronic tachycardia symptoms are observed constantly or recur at the same time. With paroxysmal tachycardia, symptoms occur sporadically, usually unexpectedly.

In turn, acute tachycardia has two types: sinus arrhythmia (the patient himself feels the beginning and end of the attack) and paroxysmal arrhythmia (it can only be detected during diagnostics during an attack).

Treatment sinus tachycardia achieved by eliminating provoking factors - smoking, stress, drinking alcohol, etc. Paroxysmal tachycardia requires long-term drug treatment.

Tachycardia may manifest itself different symptoms, from dizziness to headache. The main thing is to consult a doctor promptly when the first signs of this disease appear.

Heart beating strongly: symptoms and signs

Increased heartbeat is expressed in the fact that a person’s heart beats rapidly, and he literally hears every myocardial beat during an attack. Also, in this condition, the patient may have dark vision, fear, panic and headache.

Due to irregular heart rhythm, chest pain often occurs, severe weakness, shortness of breath, increased blood pressure, hot and cold flashes, a feeling of a “lump” in the throat.

Quite often, with increased heartbeat, patients lose appetite, develop anemia, lack of air, fog before the eyes, body tremors and sleep disturbances. All this occurs due to the fact that the heart beats strongly, which leads to severe stress on the body's systems.

Less commonly, a rapid heart rate causes facial flushing, increased sweating, loss of consciousness, and fever. Usually in this condition the patient experiences a panic attack and headache.

It is characteristic that increased heartbeat can occur both at rest and after provoking factors (training, stress, menopause, taking hormonal drugs and so on.).

It is worth mentioning separately about tachycardia in children. If a child's heart beats rapidly, he or she is at risk of developing more serious illnesses myocardium already in adolescence. It is worth understanding that slight irregularities in the heart rhythm in children are normal, since their body’s needs change all the time, and the heart tries to adapt to them.

Several factors can influence the overall heart rate in children: the child's age, activity levels, time of year and body temperature.

Thus, the younger the baby’s age, the higher the normal heart rate.

Also, in physically active and hyperactive children, the heart rate may be higher than normal.

If a child experiences a sharp disturbance in myocardial rhythm and increased heartbeat, this may indicate the development of tachycardia. The causes of arrhythmia are the same factors as in adults (stress, overexertion, heart disease, vascular disease, etc.).

It is important to know

The heart beats strongly not only in older children, but also in infants. In this case, the baby may experience convulsions and fainting.

In any case, regardless of the child’s age, if tachycardia is suspected, he should be shown to a pediatrician and cardiologist.

Increased heart rate in adults chronic form causes the following symptoms:

1. Feeling of suffocation.
2. Chest pain.
3. Cramps.
4. Constant excitement.
5. Dyspnea.

There is also a type of tachycardia that occurs after eating. This is usually observed in people with overweight. In this case, the patient will feel strong blows hearts that occur immediately after eating. This condition may also cause dizziness, nausea, and foggy vision.

Rapid heartbeat and possible complications

A rapid heartbeat can lead to loss of consciousness within a minute, so if you notice that a person is having an attack, you should urgently call a doctor. Before his arrival, you need to sit the patient down, loosen his collar and belt so that there is more air flow. You can also give a person Corvalol and valerian tincture.

If the rapid heartbeat does not go away, then you should lay the patient down and advise him to close his eyes, while slowly inhaling and exhaling to normalize the heart rate and calm down. The patient should not stand up until the doctor sees him. It is also important not to inject anything into a person with tachycardia, unless you are a doctor.

Frequent heartbeat has serious harm for the body, since it can cause the following complications:

1. High risk heart attack due to the formation of a blood clot.
2. Risk of miscarriage with tachycardia during pregnancy.
3. Development of acute or chronic heart failure.
4. Risk of sudden death.
5. Pulmonary edema.
6. Risk of seizures and cardiac arrest.
7. Abrupt loss consciousness due to impaired blood circulation in the brain.

Moreover, tachycardia is no less dangerous when it develops suddenly and can overtake a person anywhere (in water, while driving a car, on the street, etc.). In this state, the patient begins to panic, shortness of breath and excitement. He might just lose consciousness.

For this reason, after the first attack of rapid heartbeat, it is important not to delay going to the doctor.

Sometimes rapid heartbeat is not accompanied by increased blood pressure, temperature and other disorders. Tachycardia will be regarded as normal and justified individual characteristics human body. In this case, the patient needs to support his body in every possible way, healthy image life and not once again provoke an attack of tachycardia.

Moreover, a rapid heartbeat is regarded as relative norm during pregnancy, if no more than 130 beats are observed per minute. For the myocardium, such a rhythm is not dangerous, since some training of the heart muscle occurs.

You can diagnose rapid heartbeat by visiting a cardiologist, taking a medical history, listening and performing the following tests:

1. ECG monitoring throughout the day.
2. Traditional ECG.
3. Echocardiogram.
4. Ultrasound of the heart.

Also as additional diagnostics the patient may be prescribed changes in blood pressure, blood tests for hormone levels, general clinical tests blood and urine. These examinations will provide an overall picture of the patient’s condition and will help the doctor make the correct diagnosis.

Heart beats hard and breathes hard: treatment and prevention

Not everyone knows why the heart beats strongly in a calm state, so some patients do not pay attention to attacks of tachycardia for a long time. For this reason, quite often its treatment begins when the disease has already caused complications ( severe pain in the chest, bradycardia, etc.).

When your heart is beating heavily and breathing is difficult, there is no need to panic as this will make the situation even more difficult. Instead, it is important to understand why the heart beats strongly in a calm state and is not a sign of illness.

If such an attack is repeated more than once and is accompanied by a headache, a feeling of a “lump” in the throat, nausea, muscle spasms and other symptoms, then this is a reason to conduct a diagnosis.

Traditional treatment of tachycardia is selected according to individually, depending on the patient’s age, symptoms, type of disease and its neglect.

Treatment in this case can be either medicinal or folk. Doctors recommend practicing the latter only after complete passage drug therapy and consultation with a therapist.

The classic treatment regimen for tachycardia, when the heart beats hard and it’s hard to breathe, includes the following:

1. Purpose sedatives to normalize the functioning of the nervous system. It is better if such drugs are plant based(Motherwort, Valerian).
2. Prescribing medications to normalize heart rhythm. Usually the following medications are used for this purpose: Eltacin for tachycardia, Adenosine, Verapamide, Cordinorm, Sotalex.
3. If tachycardia is caused concomitant disease, then treatment should be aimed not only at improving heart function, but also at eliminating the root cause of the disease.
4. If the disease was caused hormonal disbalance, then after a series of tests the patient may be prescribed some hormonal medications.

It is important to know why the heart beats strongly in a calm state, and based on this, select treatment.

Also, many patients ask the question whether it is possible to drink coffee with tachycardia. The answer is definitely no, because this drink is an energy drink and increases the heart rate. Moreover, to reduce the risk of developing tachycardia, you will have to completely give up coffee.

note

To reduce the likelihood of developing tachycardia, the first thing to do is to refuse bad habits- smoking and drinking alcohol.

It is important to avoid stress and nervous overstrain, as well as exert moderate physical activity on your body.

You should not take any medicines, which can increase your heart rate. Moreover, if you want to keep your heart healthy, then about the habit daily use coffee must be forgotten forever.

Maintaining optimal weight and proper nutrition play an important role. It is good for the myocardium to often eat vegetables, herbs, nuts and fruits, and it is better to avoid fats.

Helps protect against heart problems timely diagnosis and treatment of vascular diseases, as well as elimination of hormonal imbalances.

It is important to have a full eight-hour sleep and rest, learn how to properly create a daily routine, and not overload yourself emotionally.

As traditional treatment You can use the following recipes:

1. Take herbal decoctions. It is best to use mint, chamomile, lemon balm and motherwort.
2. Take 10 drops of hawthorn juice.
3. Use herbal mixture - lemon balm, valerian root and yarrow. You need to drink it in a third of a glass.

The following foods are also considered good for the heart: nuts, raspberries, beets, tomatoes and pears. They contain important substances that have a good effect on the functioning of the myocardium.

Rapid heartbeat may become dangerous problem However, with timely treatment, possible complications can be prevented in time.