To What Causes Do People Attribute Their Chronic Breathlessness? A Population Survey

Abstract

Breathlessness is widely encountered. The burden in prevalence and duration generated by lung disease greatly surpasses other causes. This underlines the need to intensify efforts to minimize the causes of chronic lung disease, and to more actively palliate the subjective symptom of chronic breathlessness.

Neuroimaging of central breathlessness mechanisms

“…In one South Australian household survey, nearly one in ten people self-reported limiting chronic breathlessness, mostly attributed to lung or cardiac disease [1]. Symptoms correlate poorly with the objective measures of disease (e.g.…”

The Role of Benzodiazepines in Breathlessness: A Single Site, Open Label Pilot of Sustained Release Morphine Together with Clonazepam

“…3 Most patients attribute their breathlessness to underlying lung disease. 4 It has devastating impacts on patients' and carers' quality of life, and is still poorly palliated. 3 Regular, low-dose opioids can safely reduce the intensity of chronic refractory breathlessness.…”

Distilling the essence of breathlessness: the first vital symptom

“…Most of us want to die in our sleep with no knowledge of the event. Not only do patients with chronic, progressive lung disease know of their impending death months, years or decades ahead of the day [6], they fear how they will die, with the fear of suffocation always somewhere in their minds. This is as frightening as life can be.…”