Causes of Dyspnea:
Acute:
-pneumonia (elevated WBC)
-MI (ST-segment changes on ECG)
-PE
-acites
-kyphoscoliosis
-obesity
Chronic:
-asthma (normal O2)
-COPD (smoker, barrel-chested, hyperinflation on xray)
-CHF (swollen legs/peripheral edema, murmurs, S3, pulmonary edema on xray, Elevated BNP)
-angina (will have chest pain, ST segment changes)
-PE (may have a swollen leg)
-anemia (signs of bleeding — melena, uterine bleeding)
-anxiety (perioral numbness, stress, paresthesias)
more common in kids:
-upper airway obustrciton (foreign-body aspiration)
-asthma
-respiratory tract infections (pneumonia, bronchiolitis)