Breathlessness (Shortness of Breath) Treatment

When breathing starts to feel like work

Most people describe it in their own way. "Saans phoolti hai." "I can't finish climbing to the second floor." "I feel I'm not getting a full breath." "I have to stop and rest at the gurudwara steps now."

Breathlessness is a symptom, not a disease. It is the body's signal that something in the lungs, heart, blood or muscles isn't keeping up. Sometimes the cause is simple, sometimes it needs careful sorting out. Either way, it is worth understanding rather than putting up with.

First, is this an emergency?

Go to the nearest emergency, or call an ambulance, if breathlessness:

• Came on suddenly and is severe
• Comes with chest pain, sweating, or pain spreading to the arm or jaw
• Makes it hard to speak a full sentence
• Comes with blue or grey lips or fingertips
• Comes with confusion or drowsiness
• Started after a long trip, surgery or bed rest, especially with a swollen calf

Don't drive to a clinic in these situations. Everything on the rest of this page is about breathlessness that has built up over days, weeks or months.

Lungs, heart, or something else?

This is the question families most often ask us. The honest answer is that it can't always be told apart at home, and sometimes it's both. Here are the usual suspects.

Lung causes

• Asthma: comes and goes, often with wheeze, cough at night, triggers like dust or cold air. See asthma.
• COPD: slowly worsening breathlessness in smokers or people exposed to smoke, often with morning cough. See COPD.
• Interstitial lung disease (lung fibrosis): a dry cough and breathlessness that slowly worsens; crackles heard in the chest. See ILD.
• Pleural effusion: fluid around the lung, making it hard to take a deep breath. See pleural effusion.
• Pneumonia or other infections: with fever and cough. See pneumonia.
• Clot in the lung (pulmonary embolism): sudden, often with chest pain; an emergency.

Heart causes

Heart failure, valve problems and rhythm disturbances can all cause breathlessness. Clues include breathlessness when lying flat, waking up at night gasping and needing to sit up, swollen ankles, and quick weight gain from fluid.

Other causes

• Anaemia: low haemoglobin, very common in India, especially in women
• Thyroid problems
• Being overweight and out of condition
• Anxiety and panic, which can cause very real breathlessness, often with tingling in hands and a feeling of not getting enough air
• Acid reflux in some people

What we look at in clinic

Dr. Bedi will want to know when it started, whether it's steady or comes in episodes, what brings it on, how far you can walk now compared to a year ago, and whether you have cough, wheeze, chest pain, swelling or palpitations. Smoking, cooking fuel at home, work exposures and current medicines all matter.

Then, depending on the picture:

• Oxygen level at rest and sometimes on walking
• Spirometry / PFT for asthma, COPD and restrictive lung disease
• Chest X-ray
• Blood tests including haemoglobin and thyroid
• ECG and echocardiogram if the heart could be involved, with cardiology input when needed
• HRCT of the chest if ILD or another deeper lung problem is suspected
• A six-minute walk test in some cases

Bring old reports if you have them. Comparing this year's X-ray with one from three years ago can be very useful.

Treatment follows the cause

There is no single "breathlessness medicine". Treatment depends entirely on what's found: inhalers for asthma or COPD, draining fluid for pleural effusion, iron or other treatment for anaemia, heart medicines through a cardiologist, specific treatment for ILD, or breathing retraining and reassurance where anxiety plays a big role.

For people with long-term lung disease, a structured walking and breathing exercise plan helps a lot alongside medicines.

Simple breathing tips for daily life

These don't replace treatment, but many of our patients find them useful:

• Pursed-lip breathing: breathe in through the nose for two counts, out through gently pursed lips (like blowing on hot tea) for four counts. Helps when climbing stairs or walking.
• Lean forward slightly with hands on knees or a table when breathless; it lets the breathing muscles work better.
• Pace yourself. Break tasks into smaller parts and rest before you get exhausted, not after.

Clinic timings and contact

If you have noticed your breathing getting worse over weeks or months, get it checked. Dr. Manan Bedi sees patients at Booth 194, Sector 20, Panchkula, with OPD Monday to Saturday 5 to 7 PM and Sunday 11 AM to 2 PM. Patients come from Chandigarh, Mohali, Zirakpur and nearby towns. Call +91-99280 14284 or book here.