Dyspnea is a subjective and nonspecific symptom, yet very distressing for those who experience it. Acute onset dyspnea and exacerbation of chronic dyspnea from heart or lung disease significantly add to the number of emergency department visits and inpatient admissions. Although dyspnea may appear to be a simple condition to evaluate and manage, it is actually complex in description and quality. As such, dyspnea is the first symptom of many diseases. The onset of dyspnea can be due to a new acute disease, the exacerbation of an existing chronic illness, or a new disease compounding a chronic illness. Finding the cause of dyspnea is generally more difficult than it originally may appear. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to discuss the differential diagnoses associated with dyspnea.
Skip Nav Destination
Article navigation
1 July 2014
Differential Diagnoses for Select Critical Care Symptoms|
July 01 2014
The Challenge of Diagnosing Dyspnea
Beth Croucher, RN, MS, ACNP-BC
Beth Croucher, RN, MS, ACNP-BC
Beth Croucher is Nurse Practitioner, Medical Intensive Care, Department of Pulmonary/Critical Care, Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, 410 W 10th Ave, Columbus, OH 43210 ([email protected]).
Search for other works by this author on:
AACN Adv Crit Care (2014) 25 (3): 284–290.
Citation
Beth Croucher; The Challenge of Diagnosing Dyspnea. AACN Adv Crit Care 1 July 2014; 25 (3): 284–290. doi: https://doi.org/10.4037/NCI.0000000000000044
Download citation file:
Sign in
Don't already have an account? Register
Short-term Access
Purchase short-term access on a pay-per-article or pay-per-issue basis.
$15 72 - hour single article access $30 7 - day full issue access