It’s pretty well-known that chest pain is a possible sign of heart trouble—but it’s far from the only sign. Shortness of breath—which can feel like you’re exerting yourself more than you’re used to—is another big one to pay attention to, because it can signal heart valve disease, heart attack, and heart failure, among other cardiovascular issues.
Shortness of breath, also called dyspnea, can be characterized in a bunch of different ways: You may have difficulty breathing, or feel “air hunger” (a.k.a. severe breathlessness), a sensation of suffocation, or intense tightening in your chest.
According to the Mayo Clinic, most cases of shortness of breath can be linked to either a heart or lung issue. This is because the heart and lungs help carry oxygenated blood to tissues throughout the body, and also help remove carbon dioxide from your system. Problems with either function can impact your ability to breathe.
Someone who’s generally healthy might feel short of breath while exercising or when spending time in extreme temperatures or high altitudes, especially if you haven’t been exercising much lately. Shortness of breath isn’t a symptom you should ignore, especially if it feels intense and comes on suddenly. Here’s what you should know.
First, what types of heart problems cause shortness of breath?
Heart valve disease
The heart has four valves, which help blood flow in the right direction within the heart and onward to other parts of the body. If one or more of the valves doesn’t work properly, this can cause problems with blood flow, per the US National Library of Medicine.
Heart valve issues typically appear in one of two ways: one or more valves stiffen up and they don’t open correctly, or they don’t close correctly, Hal Skopicki, MD, PhD, chief of cardiology and co-director of the Stony Brook Heart Institute in New York, tells SELF. When the valves don’t operate as they should, blood can back up against the lungs and trigger shortness of breath. Over time, this puts strain on the heart, and can ultimately lead to heart failure, a condition in which the heart cannot pump a sufficient amount of blood to other vital organs.
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Heart muscle problems
“Another way that the heart can cause a person to be short of breath is when the muscle itself is having problems ejecting blood out in the forward direction,” Dr. Skopicki says. People with heart muscle dysfunction, also known as cardiomyopathy, may experience a thickening, weakening, or stiffening of the heart muscle that can affect the organ’s ability to pump blood. A variety of health issues can set the stage for heart muscle problems, including heart disease, endocrine diseases, alcohol addiction, viral infections, and certain types of chemotherapy and radiation, among other factors, per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Some pregnant people who are otherwise healthy may develop cardiomyopathy during or after pregnancy. “It’s important to not just assume that breathlessness is normal for pregnancy,” Stacy Rosen, MD, cardiologist and vice president of women’s health at the Katz Institute for Women’s Health at North Shore-LIJ Health System, tells SELF. Pre-existing heart issues can also become apparent for the first time during pregnancy, Dr. Rosen says.
Issues with the heart’s electrical system
Normally, electrical signals help regulate your heartbeat. When these signals don’t fire properly, it can cause the heart to beat irregularly (arrhythmia), really quickly (tachycardia), or too slowly (bradycardia) without explanation, per the Mayo Clinic. Sometimes, an irregular heartbeat doesn’t cause any noticeable symptoms. Other times, it can make you feel short of breath, Dr. Skopicki says.
Blockages in the arteries
Coronary artery disease, also known as coronary heart disease or ischemic disease, develops when the arteries—the major blood vessels that flow oxygen-rich blood to your whole body—can’t send enough blood, oxygen, and essential nutrients to your heart. It’s the most common form of heart disease in the US, per the CDC.
Source: SELF
