What the TRUE and ACCURATE definition of BREATHING DIFFICULTY?
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Alternative names\nShortness of breath; Breathlessness; Difficulty breathing; Dyspnea \n\nDefinition\nBreathing difficulties involve a sensation of difficult or uncomfortable breathing or a feeling of not getting enough air. \n\nConsiderations\nNo standard definition exists for difficulty breathing. For some individuals, a sense of breathlessness may occur with only mild exercise (for example, climbing stairs) without an indication of the presence of a specific disorder. Others may have advanced lung disease and difficulty exchanging air but may never feel a sensation of shortness of breath.\n\nIn some circumstances, a small degree of breathing difficulty may be normal. Severe nasal congestion is one example. Strenuous exercise, especially when a person does not exercise regularly, is another. In many situations, however, difficulty breathing represents the presence of significant disease and should be evaluated by a health care provider immediately.\n\nWheezing is one form of breathing difficulty. See also rapid breathing, apnea, and other lung diseases.\n\nCommon Causes\nShortness of breath has many different causes. Obstruction of the air passages of the nose, mouth, or throat may lead to difficulty breathing. Heart disease can cause breathlessness if the heart is unable to pump enough blood to supply oxygen to the body. If the brain, muscles, or other body organs do not receive enough oxygen, a sense of breathlessness may occur. Sometimes emotional distress, such as anxiety, can lead to difficulty breathing. Specific causes include the following:\n\n-Lung disease \n-Asthma \n-Emphysema \n-Coronary artery disease \n-Heart attack (myocardial infarction) \n-Interstitial lung disease \n-Pneumonia \n-Pulmonary hypertension \n-Rapid ascent to high altitudes, with less oxygen in the air \n-Airway obstruction \n-Inhalation of a foreign object \n-Dust-laden environment \n-Allergies (such as to mold, dander, or pollen) \n-Congestive heart failure (CHF) \n-Heart arrhythmias \n-Deconditioning (lack of exercise) \n-Obesity \n-Compression of the chest wall \n-Panic attacks
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Oxygen is the only gas we really need to breathe in order to stay alive. If we don't breathe oxygen (or if we don't breathe enough oxygen), we soon die. Interestingly enough, too much oxygen can be a bad thing also. At right is a diagram illustrating the range of oxygen concentrations that we can breathe safely. The green and red bar represents a scale of inspired oxygen partial pressures (PO2), ranging from zero oxygen on the left, to a PO2 of 2.0 ATA on the right. Through evolution, our bodies have become optimized to breathe oxygen at a partial pressure (PO2) of 0.21 ATA. If the inspired PO2 is much less than this, our bodies begin to shut down -- leading to unconsciousness when the PO2 drops below about 0.1 ATA (i.e., 10% oxygen at sea level). This is called hypoxia. Breathing more than 0.21 ATA oxygen is generally fine ... up to a point. If the inspired PO2 is maintained above about 0.5 ATA for prolonged periods of time (many hours to days), people begin to suffer what is usually referred to as "pulmonary" or "chronic" oxygen toxicity. The effects of this include a burning sensation or irritation in the lungs, and can affect breathing. Except for people who spend days under pressure at a time (e.g., commercial divers on oil rigs), this form of oxygen toxicity is not much of a problem for divers.\n\nHowever, as the inspired PO2 starts to climb above about 1.2 to 1.4 ATA, another kind of oxygen toxicity, called "CNS" (for "Central Nervous System") or "acute" oxygen toxicity, becomes a significant problem. Although a variety of subtle symptoms such as muscular twitching in the face and tunnel vision have been attributed to this kind of oxygen toxicity, the really important symptom is severe, uncontrolled convulsions. Although these convulsions do not appear to cause any sort of permanent damage by themselves, the problem of a diver experiencing such convulsions being able continue to hold a regulator in his or her mouth is obvious. More than a few divers have drowned underwater, apparently a result of oxygen-induced convulsions. This is perhaps the most serious and insidious of diving maladies, because it comes on unpredictably and without warning, and usually results in the death of the afflicted diver.\n\nThere is no clear understanding on the exact biochemical processes involved with CNS oxygen toxicity, nor is there a clear consensus on what the "safe" upper PO2 limit should be. Convulsions have occurred in divers breathing an inspired PO2 as low as 1.2 ATA, but such cases usually involve extenuating circumstances (such as medical conditions in the divers which pre-dispose them to convulsions). Conversely, commercial divers in Europe have routinely breathed oxygen partial pressures as high as 1.9 ATA in the water, and hyperbaric chamber facilities regularly expose patients to 2.8 ATA of oxygen (or more) without difficulty. Amid the ambiguities, two trends seem very consistent. The first is that high levels of exercise (perhaps more specifically, high levels of CO2 in the blood) appear to increase the probability of suffering from a convulsion. Secondly, divers immersed in water have a lower tolerance to elevated concentrations of inspired oxygen than do divers kept dry in a hyperbaric chamber or undersea habitat. (this over and above the fact that divers in a dry habitat are much more likely to survive a convulsion than are divers immersed in water). Another unavoidable reality regarding oxygen toxicity is the extreme range of variation both between individuals, and within a single individual.\n\nWhen immersed underwater, most divers regard a PO2 of 1.4 ATA as a safe upper limit during periods of physical exertion, and 1.6 ATA during periods of rest.
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Sleep Apnea\n\n\n\nDescription\nAn in-depth report on the causes, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of sleep apnea.\n\n\n\n\n\nIntroduction\nSleep apnea is a disorder in which a person stops breathing during the night, perhaps hundreds of times, usually for periods of 10 seconds or longer and sometimes for as long as a minute. These gaps in breathing are called apneas. (Apnea literally meaning absence of breath.) It is usually accompanied by snoring. People who have sleep apnea may not even be aware of the condition, but it inevitably causes daytime sleepiness.\n\nSleep apnea is generally categorized as obstructive, central, or mixed. A less severe form of obstructed breathing called upper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) is also worth mentioning.\n\nObstructive Sleep Apnea\nObstructive sleep apnea (OSA), the most common form of apnea, occurs when tissues in the upper throat (or airway) collapse at intervals during sleep, thereby blocking the passage of air. In general, OSA occurs as follows:\n\nOn its way to the lungs, air passes through the nose, mouth, and throat (known as the upper airway).\nUnder normal conditions, the back of the throat is soft and pliant and tends to collapse inward as a person breathes.\nCertain muscles, called dilator muscles, work against this to keep the airway open. Interference or abnormalities in this process cause air turbulence.\nIf the tissues at the back of the throat collapse and become momentarily blocked, apnea occurs. Breath is temporarily stopped. In most cases the person is unaware of it, although sometimes they awaken and gasp for breath.\nIn some cases, the interference is incomplete (called obstructive hypopnea) and causes continuous but slow and shallow breathing. In response the throat vibrates and makes the sound of snoring. Snoring can occur whether a person breathes through the mouth or the nose. (It should be noted that snoring also occurs without sleep apnea.)\nApnea decreases the amount of oxygen in the blood, and eventually this lack of oxygen triggers the lungs to suck in air.\nAt this point, the patient may make a gasping or snorting sound but does not usually fully wake up.\nObstructive sleep apnea is defined as five or more episodes of apnea or hypopnea per hour of sleep that occur in individuals who have excessive daytime sleepiness.\n\nCentral Sleep Apnea\nCentral sleep apnea is much less common. It is caused by some problem in the central nervous system, most likely a failure of the brain to signal the airway muscles to breathe. In such cases, oxygen levels drop abruptly and usually the sleeper wakes with a start. Often people with central sleep apnea recall waking up. They generally experience less sleepiness during the day than people with obstructive sleep apnea.\n\nMixed Apnea\nMixed apnea is the term used when the two apneas occur together.\n\nUpper Airway Resistance Syndrome (UARS)\nUpper airway resistance syndrome (UARS) is a condition in which patients complain about excessive daytime sleepiness and they may snore and wake frequently during the night. However, UARS patients do not have the breathing abnormalities that characterize sleep apnea and they do not show reduction in oxygen levels in the blood. Unlike apnea, UARS is more likely to occur in women than in men. Treatments are similar to those of sleep apnea. It is not known if UARS has any serious health complications.\n\n\nHealthy Sleep\nIn sleep studies, subjects spend about one-third of their time asleep, suggesting that most people need about eight hours of sleep each day. Individual adults differ in the amount of sleep they need to feel well rested, however. (Infants may sleep as many as 16 hours a day.)\n\nThe daily cycle of life, which includes sleeping and waking, is called a circadian (meaning "about a day") rhythm, commonly referred to as the biologic clock. Hundreds of bodily functions follow biologic clocks, but sleeping and waking comprise the most prominent circadian rhythm. T
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Restrictive airway disease is not a specific disease - its a term to describe any condition that decreases your ability to get air into your lungs.   It could be from a condition like scoliosis (an abnormal curving of the spine) which basically "squishes" the lungs, or from a problem with the lungs themselves, like pulmonary fibrosis.   But basically, it means your friend may have difficulty getting a big breath in, and may get short of breath during regular activities.
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If you have ever exercised to the point of getting totally out of breath, you have felt the effects of attempting to respire without oxygen. The pain in your mucles is from lactic acid, the end stage of anaerobic respiration. \n\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anaerobic_Respiration
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Practically, it means you have a lung infection. Either simple bronchitis, or perhaps even pneumonia.  Do see a doctor if it persists, gets any worse or if you get fever or shortness of breath...
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Emphysema falls under the umbrella term of "COPD", which stands for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. Other diseases that fall under this umbrella include asthma, chronic bronchitis, etc. \n\nWhen one's breathing is comprimised, that means that they are not getting enough oxygen into their body's tissues. That, in turn, can make the heart try to compensate by working harder to provide more oxygen. So, sometimes this can cause pain for a number of reasons. The alveoli in the lungs of a person with emphysema are not working properly, the heart may be overworking and the nerves may be more hypersensitive to messages of pain.\n\nHowever, if you are concerned, because he has had unremitting chest/neck/arm pain for 3 years, than I think that it is perfectly reasonable to see a cardiologist for an opinion regarding his heart.\n\nI hope this helps.
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Emphysema\nEmphysema is one of two major lung diseases that make up COPD. The other is chronic bronchitis.\n\nEmphysema is usually diagnosed in smokers or ex-smokers (most often 50 to 75 years of age) with shortness of breath, both at rest and during physical exertion. People with emphysema may cough but their coughing isn't usually severe and does not produce much mucus. Breathing, on the other hand, may be difficult.\n\nIn severe emphysema, even very simple activities can bring on shortness of breath.  \n\nLike chronic bronchitis, emphysema, in most cases, is believed to be the result of long-term irritation or infection of the bronchial tubes. The inflammation gradually blocks the airways.\n\nIn emphysema, this blockage traps air in the tiny air sacs found at the end of the bronchial tubes. These air sacs (called alveoli) are where carbon dioxide and other waste gases in the blood are exchanged for oxygen taken in by the lungs from the air. \n\nEventually, the walls of these air sacs stretch out, become stiff instead of elastic, and break down. The lungs themselves become larger and don't exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide as well. In severe emphysema, even very simple activities can bring on shortness of breath.\n\nSmoking is the main problem for most patients with emphysema. It must be stopped if the patient is to be helped
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It helps them breath easier.  Actually most people in distress will put themselves in this position without being told by anyone.  It helps them take deeper more effective breaths.  I have seen asthmatic patients do it as well.
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because that is what the definition of "BREATHING" is.
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res·pi·ra·tion (rĕs'pə-rā'shən) is:\n\n1.\n\na.  The act or process of inhaling and exhaling; breathing. Also called ventilation.\nb.  The act or process by which an organism without lungs, such as a fish or plant, exchanges gases with its environment.\n\n2.\n\na.  The oxidative process occurring within living cells by which the chemical energy of organic molecules is released in a series of metabolic steps involving the consumption of oxygen and the liberation of carbon dioxide and water.\nb.  Any of various analogous metabolic processes by which certain organisms, such as fungi and anaerobic bacteria, obtain energy from organic molecules.\n\nbreath·ing (brē'THĭng) is:\n\n1.\n\na.  The act or process of respiration.\nb.  A single breath.\n\n2.\n\nThe time required to take one's breath.\n\n3.\n\na.  Either of two marks, the rough breathing (ʽ) and the smooth breathing (ʼ), used in Greek to indicate presence or absence of aspiration.\nb.  The presence or absence of aspiration indicated by either of these marks.
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Storm,\nFirst if you have been diagnosed with sleep apnea did you go to a sleep lab?  Usually if you did the technician would tell you about it.\n\nSleep apnea simply means stopping breathing more than so many times, for a specific length of time, during a given period of time.\n\nWe go to sleep but never really go into what is called REM sleep where our brain really gets its rest!  For probably the past 40+ years I really was not truly sleeping!  I denied that I had a problem, I really wasn't tired.  But, my wife finally convinced me.  She deserves a gold Star, Probably a Congressional Medal of Honor!  I am a Hard Headed 61 year-old I'm afraid that I was extremely hard on her!  She no doubt has saved my life and no words will ever be able to thank her enough.  After all I WAS ASLEEP.  ALL WAS OK AS FAR AS I WAS CONCERNED!!!  How do I know what quality sleep I encounter, when I am asleep!\n\nIn the "usual" cases apnea is caused by blockage of the airway.  This blockage is caused frequently by the collapse of the airway thus a positive air pressure is applied to "inflate" this airway. A Constant Pressure Air device CPAP is prescribed.  It will furnish air at a specific pressure measured in inches of water that will be / or has been prescribed from the sleep lab session.  The pressure in inches of water, where your brain goes into REM pattern on the EKG.  This is the ideal pressure!\n\nThey will set up the machine for you.  Don't worry it will all go smooth.  I promise that soon you will get use to the CPAP machine maybe even love it!  If you live up North, you can always bundle yourself underneath tons of blankets and breath.  Kinda like breathing underwater!\n\nThis will be a good adventure for you!  You will feel better overall I promise regardless of any other conditions!\n\nGood Luck!!!!\n\nAPS
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Obstruction of the airway by a foreign object, Obstruction of the airway due to constricting of the airway, and Increased thoracic pressure resulting in an inability to draw a breath.
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breath. air is the wrong answer because it doesn't make sense that a man can hold air for long.
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A person is not COPD, a person may HAVE COPD. The way the paramed stated it is just the way we talk. It stands for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.  This covers a group of progressive & irreversible conditions that includes asthma, chronic bronchiectasis, chronic bronchitis and emphysema.  COPD is also sometimes called chronic obstructive lung disease.
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It's a condition in which air leaks into the space between the lungs and the chest wall.  It is serious because it leads to lung collapse and needs to be treated.  The treatment is to insert a thin tube into that space - called "the pleural space" that is in turn attached to a device that reinflates the lungs and keeps them that way as the leak heals.  Yes, it's a bit uncomfortable, but so is dying of asphyxia!
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dyspnea is a symptom, not a disease. it means that the patient (or in your case, ferret) is having a hard time breathing.