Breathlessness

A respiratory sleep assessment for adults starts with a consultation about your sleep, breathing and daytime symptoms. If a breathing-related sleep disorder is suspected, an overnight sleep study may follow, often at home. The clinician then reviews the recording with your medical history and explains whether you need treatment, further tests or assessment for another…

Respiratory causes of shortness of breath include asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chest infections and conditions affecting the lung tissue, lining or blood vessels. The pattern of your symptoms helps guide assessment, but symptoms alone rarely establish the diagnosis. You may notice breathlessness when walking or climbing stairs, or find that you can no…

Non-respiratory causes of shortness of breath include heart disease, anaemia, thyroid problems, obesity, reduced physical conditioning and anxiety. Breathlessness can therefore continue even when a chest X-ray or basic lung-function test is normal. Breathing depends on more than the lungs. Your heart must circulate blood, the blood must carry enough oxygen, and your muscles need…

A FeNO test for asthma measures nitric oxide in your breath, helping your clinician identify a type of airway inflammation that often responds to steroid inhalers. Your result is reported in parts per billion (ppb). It needs to be interpreted alongside your symptoms, medicines and other test results. For people having an asthma assessment in…

Walking uphill and climbing stairs make your muscles, heart and lungs work harder. Some increase in breathing is expected, but new or worsening breathlessness can reflect reduced fitness, asthma, another lung condition, a heart problem or anaemia. The most useful clue is whether the same activity has become harder for you. If you now stop…

Heart tests help establish whether a problem with your heart could explain shortness of breath. An ECG, echocardiogram and NT-proBNP blood test assess different aspects of heart function. Reassuring results make some cardiac causes less likely, but their meaning depends on which tests you had, when they were performed and the symptoms being investigated. If…

Breathlessness can continue after reassuring heart tests because breathing also depends on the lungs, blood, breathing muscles and physical conditioning. Possible non-cardiac causes include asthma, other lung conditions, anaemia, breathing pattern disorder and reduced fitness after illness. Normal heart tests help narrow the investigation, but they do not explain the symptom by themselves. Their meaning…

Cycling in London can expose you to traffic pollution that irritates your airways and worsens existing lung conditions. Because you breathe more heavily during exercise, you may inhale a greater dose of pollutants. For most people, regular cycling still offers health benefits despite urban air pollution. The practical priorities are reducing exposure and recognising symptoms…

Tests for unexplained breathlessness often start with blood tests, an ECG, a chest X-ray and spirometry. Depending on the findings, further investigations may include detailed lung function tests, an echocardiogram or chest CT. Cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) can help when symptoms remain unexplained, particularly during activity. You will not necessarily need every test. This guide…