Paroxysmal nocturnal dysnea: what is it, symptoms and treatment

The paroxysmal nocturnal dysnea is the lack of air that appears during the sweat, causing a sudden feeling of suffocation and making the person have to sit or even get up in search of more air to relieve this sensation.

This type of disorder may appear together with other signs and symptoms, such as intense sweating, coughing and wheezing, which may improve after a few minutes sitting or standing.

This type of lack of air is sometimes a complication that arises in people with heart failure, especially when they are not receiving adequate treatment. For this reason, to avoid this symptom, it is necessary to use the medicines recommended by the doctor that aim to treat the malfunction of the heart and reduce the symptoms.

when it might arise

The paroxysmal nocturnal disorder presents itself in people with congestive heart failure, because the malfunction of the heart causes fluids to accumulate in the blood stream, in the extremities and, consequently, in the lungs, causing pulmonary congestion and difficulty in breathing .

However, this symptom appears only in cases where the illness is decompensated, generally due to the lack of adequate treatment or after situations that require greater performance of the body, such as an infection or after a surgery, for example.

How is the treatment performed?

The treatment of paroxysmal nocturnal dysnea is carried out with the drugs indicated by the general physician or cardiologist to treat heart failure and reduce fluid accumulation in the lungs, some of which include Furosemide or Spironolactone; antihypertensives such as Enalapril, Captopril or Carvedilol; antiarrhythmics such as Amiodarone (in case of arrhythmia); cardiotonics such as Digoxin, for example.

Find out more about the treatment for heart failure.

Other types of Disney

Dysnea is a medical term used to describe the sensation of lack of air and, generally, it is more common in people with some type of cardiac, pulmonary or circulatory problem.

In addition to paroxysmal nocturnal dysnea, there are other types of dysnea, such as:

• orthopnea: shortness of breath whenever there is one, which may also be present in heart failure, in addition to cases of pulmonary congestion or people with asthma and emphysema, for example;
• Platypnea: it is the name that receives the lack of air that arises when he remains on his feet. This symptom occurs in a patient with pericarditis, dilatation of the pulmonary vessels or certain cardiac problems, such as abnormal communication of the cardiac chambers. This lack of air can only be accompanied by another symptom called orthodexia, which is the sudden drop in blood oxygen levels whenever you are on your feet;
• trepopnea: it is a feeling of lack of air that arises when the person is on the side, and that improves when turning to the opposite side. It can arise in pulmonary diseases that affect only the lungs;
• effort dysnea: this is the lack of air that arises whenever a physical effort is performed, in addition to suffering from illnesses that compromise the function of the heart or lungs.

Whenever you notice a feeling of shortness of breath that is persistent, intense, which is accompanied by other symptoms such as seas, all or pallor, for example, it is important to seek medical attention to identify the cause and start treatment. See how to identify the main causes of lack of air and what to do in each case.