Dog breathing in humans. Rapid breathing

Breathing is a natural physiological act that occurs constantly and to which most of us do not pay attention, because the body itself regulates the depth and frequency of breathing movements depending on the situation. The feeling of not having enough air is probably familiar to everyone. It may appear after a quick run, climbing stairs to a high floor, or with strong excitement, but a healthy body quickly copes with such shortness of breath, bringing breathing back to normal.

If short-term shortness of breath after exercise does not cause serious concern, quickly disappearing during rest, then long-term or suddenly occurring sudden difficulty breathing can signal a serious pathology, often requiring immediate treatment. Acute lack of air when the airways are blocked by a foreign body, pulmonary edema, or an asthmatic attack can cost life, so any respiratory disorder requires clarification of its cause and timely treatment.

Not only the respiratory system is involved in the process of breathing and providing tissues with oxygen, although its role, of course, is paramount. It is impossible to imagine breathing without the proper functioning of the muscular frame of the chest and diaphragm, the heart and blood vessels, and the brain. Breathing is influenced by blood composition, hormonal status, activity of the nerve centers of the brain and many external reasons - sports training, rich food, emotions.

The body successfully adapts to fluctuations in the concentration of gases in the blood and tissues, increasing the frequency of respiratory movements if necessary. When there is a lack of oxygen or an increased need for it, breathing becomes more frequent. Acidosis, which accompanies a number of infectious diseases, fever, and tumors, provokes increased breathing to remove excess carbon dioxide from the blood and normalize its composition. These mechanisms turn on themselves, without our will or effort, but in some cases they become pathological.

Any respiratory disorder, even if its cause seems obvious and harmless, requires examination and a differentiated approach to treatment, therefore, if you feel that there is not enough air, it is better to immediately go to a doctor - a general practitioner, cardiologist, neurologist, or psychotherapist.

Causes and types of breathing problems

When a person has difficulty breathing and lacks air, they speak of shortness of breath. This symptom is considered an adaptive act in response to an existing pathology or reflects the natural physiological process of adaptation to changing external conditions. In some cases, it becomes difficult to breathe, but the unpleasant feeling of lack of air does not arise, since hypoxia is eliminated by an increased frequency of respiratory movements - in case of carbon monoxide poisoning, working in breathing apparatus, or a sharp rise to altitude.

Dyspnea can be inspiratory or expiratory. In the first case, there is not enough air when inhaling, in the second - when exhaling, but a mixed type is also possible, when it is difficult to both inhale and exhale.

Shortness of breath does not always accompany illness; it can be physiological, and this is a completely natural condition. The causes of physiological shortness of breath are:

Physical exercise;
Excitement, strong emotional experiences;
Being in a stuffy, poorly ventilated room, in the highlands.

Physiological increased breathing occurs reflexively and goes away after a short time. People in poor physical shape who have a sedentary “office” job suffer from shortness of breath in response to physical effort more often than those who regularly visit the gym, pool, or simply take daily walks. As general physical development improves, shortness of breath occurs less frequently.

Pathological shortness of breath can develop acutely or be a constant concern, even at rest, significantly worsening with the slightest physical effort. A person suffocates when the airways are quickly closed by a foreign body, swelling of the laryngeal tissues, lungs and other serious conditions. When breathing in this case, the body does not receive the required even minimum amount of oxygen, and other severe disturbances are added to shortness of breath.

The main pathological reasons why it is difficult to breathe are:

Diseases of the respiratory system - pulmonary shortness of breath;
Pathology of the heart and blood vessels - cardiac shortness of breath;
Disorders of the nervous regulation of the act of breathing - central type shortness of breath;
Violation of the blood gas composition - hematogenous shortness of breath.

Heart reasons

Heart disease is one of the most common reasons why it becomes difficult to breathe. The patient complains that he does not have enough air and notes the appearance of swelling in the legs, fatigue, etc. Typically, patients whose breathing is impaired due to changes in the heart are already examined and even take appropriate medications, but shortness of breath can not only persist, but in some cases it gets worse.

With heart pathology, there is not enough air when inhaling, that is, inspiratory shortness of breath. It accompanies, can persist even at rest in its severe stages, and is aggravated at night when the patient is lying down.

The most common reasons:

Arrhythmias;
and myocardial dystrophy;
Defects - congenital ones lead to shortness of breath in childhood and even the neonatal period;
Inflammatory processes in the myocardium, pericarditis;
Heart failure.

The occurrence of breathing difficulties in cardiac pathology is most often associated with the progression of heart failure, in which either there is no adequate cardiac output and the tissues suffer from hypoxia, or congestion occurs in the lungs due to failure of the left ventricular myocardium ().

In addition to shortness of breath, often combined with dry, painful pain, in people with cardiac pathology, other characteristic complaints arise that make diagnosis somewhat easier - pain in the heart area, “evening” swelling, cyanosis of the skin, interruptions in the heart. It becomes more difficult to breathe in a lying position, so most patients even sleep half-sitting, thus reducing the flow of venous blood from the legs to the heart and the manifestations of shortness of breath.

symptoms of heart failure

During an attack of cardiac asthma, which can quickly turn into alveolar pulmonary edema, the patient literally suffocates - the respiratory rate exceeds 20 per minute, the face turns blue, the neck veins swell, and the sputum becomes foamy. Pulmonary edema requires emergency care.

Treatment of cardiac dyspnea depends on the underlying cause that caused it. An adult patient with heart failure is prescribed diuretics (furosemide, veroshpiron, diacarb), ACE inhibitors (lisinopril, enalapril, etc.), beta blockers and antiarrhythmics, cardiac glycosides, oxygen therapy.

Diuretics (diacarb) are indicated for children, and drugs of other groups are strictly dosed due to possible side effects and contraindications in childhood. Congenital defects in which a child begins to choke from the very first months of life may require urgent surgical correction and even heart transplantation.

Pulmonary causes

Pathology of the lungs is the second reason leading to difficulty breathing, and both difficulty in inhaling and exhaling is possible. Pulmonary pathology with respiratory failure is:

Chronic obstructive diseases - asthma, bronchitis, pneumosclerosis, pneumoconiosis, pulmonary emphysema;
Pneumo- and hydrothorax;
Tumors;
Foreign bodies of the respiratory tract;
in the branches of the pulmonary arteries.

Chronic inflammatory and sclerotic changes in the pulmonary parenchyma greatly contribute to respiratory failure. They are aggravated by smoking, poor environmental conditions, and recurrent infections of the respiratory system. Shortness of breath is initially disturbing during physical exertion, gradually becoming permanent as the disease progresses to a more severe and irreversible stage of its course.

With lung pathology, the gas composition of the blood is disrupted, and a lack of oxygen occurs, which, first of all, is lacking in the head and brain. Severe hypoxia provokes metabolic disorders in the nervous tissue and the development of encephalopathy.

Patients with bronchial asthma are well aware of how breathing is disrupted during an attack: it becomes very difficult to exhale, discomfort and even pain in the chest appears, arrhythmia is possible, sputum is difficult to separate when coughing and is extremely scarce, the neck veins swell. Patients with such shortness of breath sit with their hands on their knees - this position reduces venous return and the load on the heart, alleviating the condition. Most often, it is difficult for such patients to breathe and lack air at night or in the early morning hours.

In a severe asthmatic attack, the patient suffocates, the skin becomes bluish, panic and some disorientation are possible, and status asthmaticus may be accompanied by convulsions and loss of consciousness.

In case of breathing problems due to chronic pulmonary pathology, the patient’s appearance changes: the chest becomes barrel-shaped, the spaces between the ribs increase, the neck veins are large and dilated, as well as the peripheral veins of the extremities. The expansion of the right half of the heart against the background of sclerotic processes in the lungs leads to its failure, and shortness of breath becomes mixed and more severe, that is, not only the lungs cannot cope with breathing, but the heart cannot provide adequate blood flow, filling the venous part of the systemic circulation with blood.

There is also not enough air in case pneumonia, pneumothorax, hemothorax. With inflammation of the pulmonary parenchyma, it becomes not only difficult to breathe, the temperature also rises, there are obvious signs of intoxication on the face, and the cough is accompanied by sputum production.

An extremely serious cause of sudden respiratory failure is considered to be the entry of a foreign body into the respiratory tract. This could be a piece of food or a small part of a toy that the baby accidentally inhales while playing. A victim with a foreign body begins to choke, turns blue, quickly loses consciousness, and cardiac arrest is possible if help does not arrive in time.

Thromboembolism of the pulmonary vessels can also lead to sudden and rapidly increasing shortness of breath and cough. It occurs more often in people suffering from pathology of the blood vessels of the legs, heart, and destructive processes in the pancreas. With thromboembolism, the condition can be extremely severe with increasing asphyxia, bluish skin, rapid cessation of breathing and heartbeat.

In children, shortness of breath is most often associated with a foreign body entering during play, pneumonia, or swelling of the laryngeal tissue. Croup- swelling with stenosis of the larynx, which can accompany a wide variety of inflammatory processes, ranging from banal laryngitis to diphtheria. If the mother notices that the baby is breathing frequently, turning pale or blue, showing obvious anxiety or breathing and stopping altogether, then you should immediately seek help. Severe breathing disorders in children are fraught with asphyxia and death.

In some cases, the cause of severe shortness of breath is allergy and Quincke's edema, which are also accompanied by stenosis of the lumen of the larynx. The cause may be a food allergen, a wasp sting, inhalation of plant pollen, or a drug. In these cases, both the child and the adult require emergency medical care to relieve the allergic reaction, and in case of asphyxia, tracheostomy and artificial ventilation may be required.

Treatment of pulmonary dyspnea should be differentiated. If the cause is a foreign body, then it must be removed as quickly as possible; in case of allergic edema, the child and adult are advised to administer antihistamines, glucocorticoid hormones, and adrenaline. In case of asphyxia, a tracheo- or conicotomy is performed.

For bronchial asthma, treatment is multi-stage, including beta-adrenergic agonists (salbutamol) in sprays, anticholinergics (ipratropium bromide), methylxanthines (aminophylline), glucocorticosteroids (triamcinolone, prednisolone).

Acute and chronic inflammatory processes require antibacterial and detoxification therapy, and compression of the lungs with pneumo- or hydrothorax, obstruction of the airways by a tumor is an indication for surgery (puncture of the pleural cavity, thoracotomy, removal of part of the lung, etc.).

Cerebral causes

In some cases, breathing difficulties are associated with damage to the brain, because the most important nerve centers that regulate the activity of the lungs, blood vessels, and heart are located there. Shortness of breath of this type is characteristic of structural damage to brain tissue - trauma, neoplasm, stroke, edema, encephalitis, etc.

Disorders of respiratory function in brain pathology are very diverse: it is possible to either slow down or increase breathing, and the appearance of different types of pathological breathing. Many patients with severe brain pathology are on artificial ventilation because they simply cannot breathe on their own.

The toxic effect of microbial waste products and fever leads to an increase in hypoxia and acidification of the internal environment of the body, which causes shortness of breath - the patient breathes frequently and noisily. In this way, the body strives to quickly get rid of excess carbon dioxide and provide tissues with oxygen.

A relatively harmless cause of cerebral dyspnea can be considered functional disorders in the activity of the brain and peripheral nervous system - neurosis, hysteria. In these cases, shortness of breath is of a “nervous” nature, and in some cases this is noticeable to the naked eye, even to a non-specialist.

With intercostal neuralgia, the patient feels severe pain in half of the chest, which intensifies with movement and inhalation; especially impressionable patients may panic, breathe quickly and shallowly. With osteochondrosis, it is difficult to breathe, and constant pain in the spine can provoke chronic shortness of breath, which can be difficult to distinguish from difficulty breathing due to pulmonary or cardiac pathology.

Treatment of difficulty breathing in diseases of the musculoskeletal system includes physical therapy, physiotherapy, massage, drug support in the form of anti-inflammatory drugs, analgesics.

Many expectant mothers complain that as their pregnancy progresses, it becomes more difficult for them to breathe. This sign may be quite normal, because the growing uterus and fetus raise the diaphragm and reduce the expansion of the lungs, hormonal changes and the formation of the placenta contribute to an increase in the number of respiratory movements to provide the tissues of both organisms with oxygen.

However, during pregnancy, breathing should be carefully assessed so as not to miss a serious pathology behind its seemingly natural increase, which could be anemia, thromboembolic syndrome, progression of heart failure due to a defect in the woman, etc.

One of the most dangerous reasons why a woman may begin to choke during pregnancy is pulmonary embolism. This condition is life-threatening and is accompanied by a sharp increase in breathing, which becomes noisy and ineffective. Asphyxia and death without emergency assistance are possible.

Thus, having considered only the most common causes of difficulty breathing, it becomes clear that this symptom can indicate dysfunction of almost all organs or systems of the body, and in some cases it can be difficult to identify the main pathogenic factor. Patients who have difficulty breathing require a thorough examination, and if the patient is suffocating, emergency qualified assistance is needed.

Any case of shortness of breath requires a trip to the doctor to find out its cause; self-medication in this case is unacceptable and can lead to very serious consequences. This is especially true for breathing problems in children, pregnant women and sudden attacks of shortness of breath in people of any age.

Rapid breathing (tachypnea) is a symptom that can have many causes. Frequent breathing can either mean nothing or signal serious problems in the body.

Normally, a person makes an average of 16 respiratory movements per minute (an increase to 20 is possible). In a newborn, the respiratory rate is up to 45 times per minute, which gradually decreases with age. During sleep, the frequency of respiratory movements decreases to 12. More frequent breathing indicates some pathological process in the human body.

As mentioned above, rapid breathing is a symptom of many conditions in the body. This phenomenon is associated with increased levels of CO 2 in the blood and decreased oxygen levels. The brain understands that there is less oxygen and inhales more quickly.

Frequent breathing (tachypnea) can be caused by the following reasons:

sense of anxiety;
bronchial asthma;
obstructive chronic pulmonary disease;
heart failure;
Tietze syndrome (benign thickening and tenderness of the second, third and fourth pairs of ribs);
various brain tumors;
blockage of veins by a blood clot;
heart attack;
panic attack;
pneumothorax (accumulation of air in the pleural area);
pulmonary edema;
traumatic injury to the chest;
disruption of the central nervous system (meningitis, encephalitis);
feverish condition;
mountain sickness (a condition associated with insufficient oxygen supply to the body);
severe anemia and others.

Tachypnea occurs during alcohol and drug intoxication, severe stress or anxiety. Rapid breathing is normal during exercise.

There are two types of rapid breathing:

physiological - not associated with any abnormalities and is a normal reaction of the body to certain conditions;
pathological - caused by diseases that were described above.

With pathological tachypnea, it is necessary to identify the cause - the underlying disease. To establish the cause, you must consult a doctor and undergo an appropriate examination.

Frequent breathing during sleep

The cause of rapid breathing during sleep may be a nightmare, or other factors that put the brain in an excited state. Breathing may also become more frequent if there are problems with the cardiovascular or respiratory system.

During sleep, the breathing rhythm may become disturbed, and a person may take shallow breaths. This causes rapid breathing. In this case, the person either wakes up or the breathing evens out on its own.

Treatment of pathological tachypnea

Since pathological tachypnea is a consequence, it is necessary to concentrate on the diagnosis and treatment of the underlying disease.

To diagnose the underlying disease, you must first consult a therapist. After examination and questioning, the therapist can refer the patient for examinations to other medical specialists, such as a cardiologist, neurologist, allergist, psychiatrist and others.

If such a symptom occurs in a child, you must first contact a pediatrician.

The cause of rapid breathing (tachypnea) in children varies. This condition indicates that the child needs urgent medical attention. Many conditions in children are accompanied by a lack of air. Among them are not only diseases of the respiratory system, but also severe heart defects.

However, in the youngest children the physiological respiratory rate is accelerated. Due to the structure of the chest, newborns experience respiratory arrhythmia, that is, an uneven breathing rate. Moreover, uneven breathing occurs in both premature and full-term babies.

Sometimes a child's rapid breathing may be accompanied by gurgling sounds. These symptoms require urgent consultation with a doctor, because this is how an infectious disease of the respiratory system can develop.

If during tachypnea the child also coughs and breathes very noisily, this indicates the development of false croup. But when displaying various emotions and during physical activity, special monitoring of the child is not required.

Rapid breathing (tachypnea) with heart defects in children

With some congenital heart defects, the following symptoms attract attention:

change in skin color;
facial skin with an unnaturally pale or bluish tint;
limbs swell;
the child screams for no reason, and is scared. During screaming, blue skin and cold sweat appear;
the infant suckles very sluggishly and gains little weight;
sometimes shortness of breath can be observed in children constantly, even at rest;
the heartbeat increases for no reason or, on the contrary, slows down;
pain in the place where the heart is located.

Often, heart disease in children can occur without significant symptoms. During a thorough examination, the pediatrician notices them.

Children with congenital heart defects should be seen by pediatric cardiologists or pediatricians. Parents do not have to refuse if the doctor offers surgical treatment for a heart defect.

Is croup dangerous?

Croup is an acute obstructive laryngitis. It is characterized by inflammation of the larynx and narrowing of the airways, accompanied by frequent heavy breathing. Those. Tachypnea is one of the symptoms of this condition.

Viral croup is accompanied by a narrowing of the larynx. It is accompanied by a rough barking cough, hoarseness of the voice, and a strong increase in breathing rate. Breathing problems most often occur at night. The breathing rate can increase even to 180 per minute.

With diphtheria there is true croup. The inflammatory process spreads to the vocal cords. In other diseases, so-called false croup occurs. Inflammation spreads to the area of the larynx, trachea, and bronchi.

Typically, croup of a viral nature is self-limiting and rarely leads to the death of the patient. Children feel better if they are taken out into the cold air. The child should be taken to the doctor immediately if the temperature rises to 39 degrees, the lips turn blue, he is extremely lethargic, refuses to go to bed and cannot swallow saliva.

Pulmonary embolism as a cause of tachypnea

This is what is called a blockage of the pulmonary artery (which carries blood from the heart to the lungs) by a blood clot. This condition begins suddenly without any warning signs. The first sign of thromboembolism is sudden severe shortness of breath, tachypnea. Worrying pain in the heart, palpitations, as well as the most dangerous symptom - hemoptysis.

Thromboembolism is very dangerous for humans. In most cases, death occurs within two hours of its onset. So if doctors can keep vital organs functioning longer, it increases the chances of recovery.

Conclusion

So, if a person experiences tachypnea without physical activity, it is necessary to consult a doctor without delay, as rapid breathing can be caused by a serious illness. Sometimes timely seeking medical help increases the chances of recovery and rehabilitation. This is especially true for cases of shortness of breath in children.

General information

Rapid breathing is an increase in the frequency of respiratory movements (more than 20 per minute), not accompanied by a violation of its rhythm.

Tachypnea, as a rule, develops as a result of gas exchange disorders, which is accompanied by the accumulation of carbon dioxide in the blood and a decrease in oxygen content.

Causes

Rapid breathing is often associated with excitation of the respiratory center, which may be associated with pathology of the central nervous system or occurs reflexively.

Normally, a person’s breathing rate depends on a number of factors: the innate characteristics of the body, the person’s physical activity, age, body weight, general health, etc. The breathing rate is also related to the person’s condition. For example, rapid breathing is often observed during fever and pregnancy.

One of the reasons for rapid breathing is a stressful situation. The person breathes very quickly and finds it difficult to speak. Tachypnea is also observed in hysterical neurosis. In addition to increased breathing, there is instability of emotions, attacks of rage, etc.

Very often, rapid breathing in an adult or child is associated with colds. This is due to airway obstruction and increased body temperature.

Tachypnea may indicate bronchial asthma and intensifies before the onset of an attack.

Rapid breathing with attacks of wet cough in the morning may be a sign of chronic bronchitis.

With pneumonia and pleurisy, rapid breathing is accompanied by chest pain associated with respiratory movements.

With tuberculosis, rapid breathing is combined with a slight increase in body temperature, coughing, sweating, weakness, and poor appetite.

Sometimes rapid breathing indicates that a person has diseases of the cardiovascular system.

Rapid breathing in a child may indicate a foreign object entering the respiratory tract, inflammation of the epiglottis () or other organs of the respiratory system.

Diseases and conditions that may cause rapid breathing:

cardiac asthma;
hyperthyroidism;
acute respiratory failure syndrome;
heart defects;
COPD (chronic obstructive pulmonary disease);
spicy;
exudative pleurisy;
spontaneous pneumothorax;
diffuse pulmonary pneumosclerosis;
pulmonary embolism;
diseases of the circulatory system, accompanied by circulatory failure;
shock;
bleeding;
brain tumors;
hysteria;
anxiety, fear;
chest injuries;
benign and malignant neoplasms of the thoracic cavity;
pulmonary edema;
physical activity (running, hard work, sports);
acute pain;
disorders of the central nervous system (concussion, inflammatory processes, etc.);
diabetic ketoacidosis;
acute poisoning;
fever;
side effects of certain drugs;

Incorrect breathing frequency: breathing is either excessively rapid (in this case it becomes superficial, that is, it has very short inhalations and exhalations) or, on the contrary, it is very slow (and it often becomes very deep).
Irregular breathing: the time intervals between inhalations and exhalations are different, sometimes breathing may stop for a few seconds/minutes and then reappear.
Lack of consciousness: is not directly related to respiratory failure, but most forms of respiratory failure occur when the patient is in an extremely serious condition and is unconscious.

Forms

There are the following forms of breathing disorders associated with damage to various areas of the brain (the person, as a rule, is in an unconscious state):

Cheyne-Stokes breathing - breathing consists of peculiar cycles. Against the background of a short-term lack of breathing, signs of shallow breathing very slowly begin to appear, then the amplitude of respiratory movements increases, they become deeper, reach a peak, and then gradually fade away until there is complete absence of breathing. Periods of no breathing between such cycles can range from 20 seconds to 2-3 minutes. Most often, this form of breathing disorder is associated with bilateral damage to the cerebral hemispheres or a general metabolic disorder in the body;
apneustic breathing - breathing is characterized by a spasm of the respiratory muscles during a full inhalation. The respiratory rate may be normal or slightly decreased. Having inhaled completely, a person convulsively holds his breath for 2-3 seconds and then slowly exhales. It is a sign of damage to the brain stem (the area of the brain in which vital centers are located, including the respiratory center);
ataxic breathing (Biota breathing) - characterized by disordered respiratory movements. Deep breaths are randomly replaced by shallow ones, there are irregular pauses with a lack of breathing. It is also a sign of damage to the brain stem, or rather its back part;
neurogenic (central) hyperventilation - very deep and frequent breathing with an increased frequency (25-60 respiratory movements per minute). It is a sign of damage to the midbrain (the area of the brain located between the brain stem and its hemispheres);
Kussmaul breathing is a rare and deep, noisy breathing. Most often it is a sign of metabolic disorders throughout the body, that is, it is not associated with damage to a specific area of the brain.

Diagnostics

Analysis of complaints and medical history:
- how long ago did signs of breathing problems appear (impaired rhythm and depth of breathing);
- what event preceded the development of these disorders (head injury, drug or alcohol poisoning);
- How quickly breathing problems appeared after loss of consciousness.
Neurological examination.
- Assessing the frequency and depth of breathing.
- Assessing the level of consciousness.
- Search for signs of brain damage (decreased muscle tone, strabismus, pathological reflexes (absent in a healthy person and appearing only when the brain or spinal cord is damaged)).
- Assessment of the condition of the pupils and their reaction to light:
  - wide pupils that do not respond to light are characteristic of damage to the midbrain (the area of the brain located between the brain stem and its hemispheres);
  - narrow (pinpoint) pupils that react poorly to light are characteristic of damage to the brain stem (the area of the brain in which vital centers, including the respiratory center, are located).
Blood test: assessment of the level of protein breakdown products (urea, creatinine), blood oxygen saturation.
Acid-base state of the blood: assessment of the presence of blood acidification.
Toxicological analysis: detection of toxic substances in the blood (drugs, medications, salts of heavy metals).
CT (computed tomography) and MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) of the head: allow you to study the structure of the brain layer by layer and identify any pathological changes (tumors, hemorrhages).
Consultation is also possible.

Treatment of breathing problems

Treatment of the disease causing breathing problems is required.
- Detoxification (anti-poisoning) in case of poisoning:
  - drugs that neutralize toxins (antidotes);
  - vitamins (groups B, C);
  - infusion therapy (infusion of solutions intravenously);
  - hemodialysis (artificial kidney) for uremia (accumulation of protein breakdown products (urea, creatinine) with);
  - antibiotics and antiviral drugs for infectious meningitis (inflammation of the meninges).
Combating cerebral edema (develops in most severe brain diseases):
- diuretics;
- hormonal drugs (steroid hormones).
Drugs that improve brain nutrition (neurotrophics, metabolism).
Timely transfer to artificial ventilation.

Complications and consequences

Breathing in itself does not cause any serious complications.
Oxygen starvation due to irregular breathing (if the breathing rhythm is disrupted, the body does not receive the proper level of oxygen, that is, breathing becomes “unproductive”).

Rapid breathing is an increase in the frequency of respiratory movements. In medicine, this condition is called “tachypnea.” An adult breathes up to 20 times per minute at rest, this is considered normal. In children, the normal frequency is up to 40 times. With the symptom of rapid breathing, the frequency of inhalations and exhalations in adults increases up to 30-40 times, in children up to 50-60. This phenomenon occurs in healthy people in stressful situations and during physical activity. But if tachypnea prevails for no apparent reason, you need to figure out why this is happening and what to do about it.

How does rapid breathing manifest itself?

For normal functioning of the body, an adult needs to inhale and exhale 18-20 times per minute. This is enough to provide oxygen to all organs and systems of the body.

The inhalation should be deep, continuous, and should not be accompanied by pain. With tachypnea, a person breathes quickly and shallowly. This describes the main symptom and cause of the phenomenon. The breathing rate increases when oxygen levels in the blood decrease and carbon dioxide levels increase. To restore normal saturation (oxygen saturation), the brain sends many signals through the respiratory center.

Patients often confuse tachypnea with. In the first case, the breath is shallow and sharp, and may be interrupted. With shortness of breath, both the frequency of respiratory movements and their depth increase. Rapid breathing of a pathological nature can turn into shortness of breath if the patient is not treated. The described symptom may be due to simple physiological reasons, or it may be provoked by a disease. Tachypnea during physical exercise, stress and training is considered normal.

In a healthy person, the frequency of inhalations increases in moments of stressful situations, anger or hysteria. Tachypnea caused by physical exertion or emotional shock does not require treatment. When the person is in a calm environment or rests, the symptom will disappear on its own. If breathing becomes frequent and intermittent without any exertion, at rest or sleep, you definitely need to be examined. The cause of this condition can be either a mild illness or a severe pathology.

Why does rapid breathing occur?

Tachypnea in a healthy person during work, sports or stress appears because the body needs to restore strength faster. The same symptom appears in people with excess body weight, and no additional factors are needed to increase breathing. In this case, tachypnea is of a reflex nature; you can get rid of it only by normalizing your weight. An increase in the frequency of inhalations and exits in a calm state serves as a secondary symptom of a serious illness. These may be psychopathologies, diseases of the cardiovascular system, central nervous system disorders, diseases of the respiratory system.

The most common causes of rapid breathing in adults:

bronchial asthma;
heart failure;
anemia;
cardiac ischemia;
heart failure;
pulmonary embolism;
hyperthyroidism;
pneumosclerosis;
pleurisy;
pneumonia;
ketoacidosis;
hysteria;
myocardial infarction;
allergic reaction.

With any of these diseases, rapid breathing is not the only symptom. During inflammatory processes, chills and malaise are added to it. Cardiovascular diseases and pathologies of the respiratory system are accompanied by blueness of the skin and lips, dizziness,. With airway obstruction, attacks begin in the supine position. If breathing becomes faster when the patient lies on his side, this indicates heart problems. Psychopathologies cause rapid breathing (up to 50 times per minute), trembling throughout the body, foggy consciousness, sometimes slurred speech and muscle weakness.

Treatment and diagnosis

Delaying a visit to the doctor is dangerous, since rapid breathing in adults and children can be a signal of a serious problem. If such a symptom occurs in conjunction with chest pain or changes in skin color, you need to seek help as soon as possible. Since tachypnea is a symptom of a very wide range of diseases, it is better to see a general specialist. First of all, you need to contact your pediatrician or family doctor. Based on the first examination and complaints, the doctor will determine what tests and examinations are needed.

To make a diagnosis, X-rays, ultrasound, fibrobronchoscopy, blood tests, and listening are used. Based on the general results and symptoms, the diagnosis and treatment tactics are determined. It is impossible to predict what kind of therapy will be, since it depends on the cause of rapid breathing.

Treatment often includes oral medications and rehabilitation procedures (oxygen therapy, physiotherapy, SPA treatments).

It is difficult to accurately prevent tachypnea, since this requires the prevention of dozens of diseases. But you can reduce the risk of rapid breathing. To do this, it is recommended to give up bad habits, engage in feasible physical exercise, and rest after emotional stress. A timely visit to the doctor and examination once a year is the best prevention for all types of diseases.