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Breathing difficulties - first aid - Symptom

Alternative Names

Difficulty breathing - first aid; Dyspnea - first aid; Shortness of breath - first aid

Symptoms:

The following symptoms are often associated with difficulty breathing:

  • Bluish lips, fingers, and fingernails
  • Chest moving in an unusual way as the person breathes (may indicate an airway or chest injury)
  • Chest pain (could be a heart attack or injury; sharp chest pain could be pulmonary embolism or collapsed lung)
  • Confusion, light-headedness, weakness, or sleepiness
  • Cough (if the person also has phlegm/sputum, this may be pneumonia; a barking cough in a child is croup)
  • Fever
  • Gurgling, wheezing, or whistling sounds
  • Using chest and neck muscles to breathe
  • Reviewed last on: 10/2/2008
  • Jacob L. Heller, MD, Emergency Medicine, Virginia Mason Medical Center, Seattle, Washington, Clinic. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

References

Manno M. Pediatric respiratory emergencies: upper airway obstruction and infections. In: Marx J, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2006: chap 166.

Thomas SH, Brown DFM. Foreign bodies. In: Marx J, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 6th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Mosby Elsevier; 2006: chap 57.

The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed medical professional should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. © 1997- A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.
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