Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea is the shortness of breath that appears during sleep, causing a sudden feeling of suffocation and causing the person to sit or even get up in search of a more airy area to relieve this sensation. It may appear with other signs and symptoms such as intense sweating, coughing and wheezing, which usually improve after a few minutes sitting or standing.
This type of shortness of breath is more common in people who have heart failure, especially if they are not adequately treated, so to avoid this symptom, it is necessary to use the drugs recommended by the doctor in order to treat the malfunction of the heart and soften the symptoms caused by it, such as using diuretics, antihypertensives or cardiotonics, for example. Better understand what heart failure is and how to treat it.
Dyspnea is a medical term used to say that there is shortness of breath due to a cardiac, pulmonary or circulatory problem. In addition to paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea, there are also other types, such as:
- Orthopnea: shortness of breath whenever you lie down, which is also present in heart failure, in addition to cases of pulmonary congestion or people with asthma and emphysema, for example; Platypnea: is the name given to the shortness of breath that arises or worsens with the standing position. This symptom usually occurs in patients with pericarditis, dilation of the pulmonary vessels or certain heart problems, such as abnormal communication of the cardiac chambers. This shortness of breath usually comes with another symptom called orthodexia, which is the sudden drop in blood oxygen levels whenever you are standing up; Trepopnea: it is a sensation of shortness of breath that appears whenever the person lies on his side, and which improves when turning to the opposite side. It can arise in lung diseases that affect only one lung; Dyspnea of effort: it is the shortness of breath that appears whenever any physical effort is made, which usually occurs in people with diseases that compromise the function of the heart or lungs.
Whenever you notice a feeling of shortness of breath that is persistent, intense or appears with other symptoms such as dizziness, cough or pallor, for example, it is important to seek medical attention to identify the cause and start treatment. Learn to identify the main causes of shortness of breath and what to do in each case.
When can it arise
Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea usually occurs in people with congestive heart failure, as malfunctioning of the heart causes fluids to accumulate in the bloodstream, body members and, consequently, in the lungs, causing pulmonary congestion and difficulties in breathing.
However, this symptom only appears in cases where the disease is decompensated, usually due to the lack of adequate treatment or after situations that demand greater performance from the body, such as an infection or after surgery, for example.
How to treat
The treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea is done with medicines indicated by the general practitioner or cardiologist to treat heart failure and decrease the accumulation of fluid in the lungs, and some examples include diuretics such as Furosemide or Spironolactone, antihypertensives such as Enalapril, Captopril or Carvedilol, antiarrhythmic drugs like Amiodarone (in case of arrhythmia) or cardiotonics like Digoxin, for example. Find out more details about how heart failure treatment is performed and what medications to use.
