Respiratory issues or
problem in breathing has become a part of our daily life. Most of the times
when we suffer from breathlessness, we are caught unaware because of lack of
knowledge. But a greater understanding of your symptoms alongside proper
medical diagnosis and effective treatment can help you fight better. It hardly
matters the type of breathing problem you have. Daily monitoring is essential
to living an upbeat life.
So what exactly causes breathing
problems?
There is no one cause of
breathing problems. Some individuals may find it hard to breathe during
winters. Other may have trouble because of Sinusitis. It may take 1-2 weeks
until the swelling wears off and the congested sinuses begin to deplete.
Unfortunately, many
respiratory issues are long term. For instance, sinusitis, allergies and asthma
are all part of long term breathing problems. These problems can make way for
other problems like sneezing, runny nose, chest congestion and low breathing.
The nasal passage is an
ideal gateway for viruses and allergens to enter your lungs. So the nose and
sinuses are often correlated with numerous lung disorders. An inflammation in
the nasal passage may trigger asthma attacks. And allergies play a big role in
causing asthma attacks.
How to diagnose breathing
problems?
A respiratory problem doctor diagnoses breathing issues by performing a physical test, taking a
patient’s family health history into account. One of the simple breathing tests
in Spirometry. It measures how much and how fast you blow air out of your
lungs. This test is performed to establish the amount of airway obstruction.
In some complex cases, a
pulmonologist may choose to do an X-Ray to peek into your
chest, including the heart, lungs, and bones. A chest X-Ray is perfect to
diagnose pneumonia. For some people an X-Ray may not be enough. They might
require a CT scan.
How breathing problems
are treated?
Breathing problems are
caused generally by triggers and avoiding them in any way is a sure shot way to
control allergies and asthma. For example, while doing the household work you
can wear a mask to lessen the exposure to allergy triggers. On the other hand, people suffering from asthma must keep their airways open and minimise sensitivity to
asthma triggers which includes viral infections, pollen, dust mites, fragrances
and many more.
