Approach to the Patient with Dyspnea

Abstract

Dyspnea is a common, distressing symptom of cardiopulmonary and neuromuscular disease. In a consensus statement, the American Thoracic Society defined dyspnea as “a subjective experience of breathing discomfort that consists of qualitatively distinct sensations that vary in intensity.” Dyspnea is a nonspecific complaint and is one of the most frequent patient complaints. This review discusses the definition, epidemiology, etiology, pathophysiology, peripheral mechanisms, and evaluation of dyspnea. Figures depict cellular metabolism and exercise physiology, and an invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing (iCPET) flow diagram. Tables list the common causes of dyspnea, invasive cardiopulmonary exercise testing (iCPET) diagnosis, and iCPET characteristics of pulmonary hypertension. This review contains 2 highly rendered figures, 3 tables, and 51 references.