Assessment
Questionnaire
Have a symptom?
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a doctor would ask.
See what questions
a doctor would ask.
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques to assess the symptom: Shortness of breath from exercise. These will include a physical examination and possibly diagnostic tests. (Note: A physical exam is always done, diagnostic tests may or may not be performed depending on the suspected condition) Your doctor will ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to openly share any pertinent information to help your doctor make an accurate diagnosis.
It is also very important to bring an up-to-date list of all of your all medical conditions, medications including dosages, and names of numbers of any specialist you see.
Create your printable checklist by answering questions that your doctor may ask below:
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Why: to determine if acute or chronic.
Why: can help determine severity of breathlessness e.g. shortness of breath with heavy exertion, moderate exertion, minimal exertion or at rest.
Why: if sudden consider adult respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary embolism, pneumothorax, lung collapse or pneumonia. If gradual onset, consider chronic diseases such as congestive cardiac failure, emphysema and fibrosis.
Why: Shortness of breath on moderate exertion is not uncommon due to the combination of obesity and lack of physical fitness.
Why: e.g. heavy periods with clots, vomiting blood, bloody stools, rectal bleeding - may suggest significant anemia as the cause for shortness of breath from exercise.
Why: previous respiratory illness (e.g. pneumonia, tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis); previous heart problems (heart disease, heart attack, heart valve disease); HIV infection ( at high risk for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia); previous high blood pressure; deep venous thrombosis; Rheumatic fever.
Why: many different medications can produce lung problems and resultant shortness of breath e.g. pulmonary embolism from oral contraceptive pill; fibrotic lung diseases from cytotoxic agents such as methotrexate, cyclophosphamide and bleomycin; bronchospasm from beta-blockers or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medications.
Why: number of packets per day and number of years you have smoked. Smoking is a major cause of lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Passive smoking exposure is also regarded as a significant risk.
Why: cocaine, amphetamines or injected narcotic drugs can cause shortness of breath.
Why: The drinking of large amounts of alcohol in binges can sometimes result in aspiration pneumonia and alcoholics are also prone to develop pneumococcal or Klebsiella pneumonia. Heavy alcohol intake also predisposes to hypertensive heart disease and alcoholic cardiomyopathy, both of which may cause shortness of breath with exercise.
Why: e.g. exposure to dusts in mining industries and factories such as asbestos, coal, silica, iron oxide, tin oxide, cotton, beryllium, titanium oxide, silver, nitrogen dioxide, anhydrides; exposure to animals (e.g. Q fever or psittacosis); exposure to moldy hay, humidifiers or air conditioners may result in allergic alveolitis.
Why: asthma, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, alpha-1-anti-typsin deficiency, tuberculosis, heart attacks.
Why: may be due to lung or heart disease.
Why: color and quantity? - e.g. large volume pus-like suggests bronchiectasis or pneumonia; foul smelling dark colored suggests lung abscess; pink frothy secretions may be due to left ventricular heart failure; blood in sputum can be a serious sign of lung disease and must always be investigated.
Why: may suggest asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, airways obstruction (by a foreign body or tumor) or left ventricular heart failure.
Why: may be due to lung or heart disease.
Why: e.g. fever at night may suggest tuberculosis, pneumonia or mesothelioma ( tumor of lung lining due to asbestos exposure).
Why: suggests left ventricular heart failure.
Why: suggests left ventricular failure.
Why: indicates obstruction of the larynx, trachea or large airways by a foreign body, a tumor or infection (such as epiglottitis).
Why: may suggest heart failure.
Why: may indicate that heart arrhythmia may be the cause of breath problems.
Why: suggests pneumonia.
Why: need to rule out pulmonary embolism.
The following list of conditions have 'Shortness of breath from exercise' or similar listed as a symptom in our database. This computer-generated list may be inaccurate or incomplete. Always seek prompt professional medical advice about the cause of any symptom.
Select from the following alphabetical view of conditions which include a symptom of Shortness of breath from exercise or choose View All.
The following list of medical conditions have 'Shortness of breath from exercise'
or similar listed as a medical complication in our database.
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Copyright © 2011 Health Grades Inc. All rights reserved. Last Update: 1 February, 2012 (3:26)
