Definition
The term dyspnea means difficult breathing, which requires considerable effort to be able to inhale and exhale, and which is perceived as a feeling of breathlessness. For this reason, dyspnea is also referred to as "air hunger".
Three different forms of dyspnea can be distinguished: accessory, stressful and continuous.
Causes
The causes of dyspnea can be of different origins and nature, starting from the pulmonary and cardiac causes (more common), up to the neoplastic (tumors) and psychological (anxiety and panic attacks) causes. Still, dyspnea can be caused by autoimmune diseases, such as myasthenia gravis, multiple sclerosis or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis.
Symptoms
Dyspnea is itself a symptom that expresses, in fact, a significant respiratory difficulty, perceived as a feeling of breathlessness. In fact, in general, dyspnea is part of the clinical manifestations of certain types of pathologies.
The information on Dyspnoea - Dyspnoea Treatment Drugs is not intended to replace the direct relationship between health professional and patient. Always consult your doctor and / or specialist before taking Dyspnea - Dyspnoea Treatment Drugs.
drugs
In reality, there are no real drugs to cure dyspnea itself. The treatment that you decide to undertake, in fact, is aimed at treating the primary cause that has triggered this difficulty in breathing.
In particular, the most frequent causes of dyspnea are those of the pulmonary type (asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pneumonia) and cardiac type (myocardial infarction and heart failure). Therefore, drug therapy will be aimed at treating these diseases.
The administration of oxygen, on the other hand, is performed only in patients with hypoxia, since it is not effective in individuals who experience dyspnea with normal blood oxygen saturation values.
Bronchodilators
Bronchodilator drugs are widely used both in the treatment of asthma and in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (or COPD), both of which can cause dyspnea in patients who suffer from it.
Among the various active ingredients that can be used, we recall:
- Formoterol (Symbicort ®): formoterol is a bronchodilator belonging to the class of selective β2-adrenergic receptor agonists. Formoterol is a long-acting drug and is administered by inhalation. In adult patients and adolescents over 18 years of age, the dose of formoterol usually used is 12-24 micrograms, to be taken twice a day.
In children aged six years and older, however, the usual dose of medication is 12 micrograms twice a day.
- Theophylline (Theolair ®, Theo-Dur ®, Aminomal ®): theophylline is a methylxanthine with bronchodilator activity. It is a drug available for oral administration. In adults, the dose of theophylline generally used is 200-350 mg twice a day. In children, on the other hand, the amount of active ingredient normally used is 100-200 mg, to be taken twice a day.
Furthermore, for the treatment of asthma, antimuscarinic (or anticholinergic) drugs with bronchodilator action can also be used, such as, for example, ipratropium bromide (Atem ®, Breva ®, Naos ®). This drug is available for inhalation administration.
In adults and adolescents from 14 years of age, hypratropium bromide is administered at a dose of 0.5 mg, to be taken two to four times a day, according to a medical prescription.
However, for more detailed information regarding the pharmacological therapy of asthma and COPD, see the dedicated articles: "Asthma Cure Medicines" and "COPD Cure Medicines".
Antibiotics
Antibiotic drugs can be used to treat pneumonia caused by bacterial infections. Pneumonia is another type of respiratory disease that can promote the onset of dyspnea.
Similarly, antibiotic drugs can be used to treat bacterial superinfections that may occur in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Among the various active ingredients that are normally used, we mention amoxicillin (Zimox ®, Augmentin ®, Clavulin ®, Amox ®). The dose of amoxicillin generally administered is 1-3 grams per day, to be taken orally in 2-3 divided doses, according to the doctor's prescription.
For further information on the drugs used in the treatment of pneumonia, the consultation of the article "Medicines for the Treatment of Pneumonia" is recommended.
ACE-inhibitors
ACE inhibitors are just one of several classes of drugs that can be used to treat heart failure. This pathology is one of the most frequent cardiac causes that cause dyspnea.
Among the different active ingredients belonging to this class of drugs, we find enalapril (Enapren ®, Converten ®). The starting dose of enalapril usually used is 2.5 mg of active ingredient per day. This dosage will then be gradually increased until a maintenance dose of 20-40 mg of enalapril per day is reached.
However, to get a complete picture on the therapeutic strategies undertaken against heart failure, please refer to the article "Heart Failure - Drugs and Care".
In some cases, moreover, ACE inhibitors can also be used in the prevention of relapses of myocardial infarction, another pathological condition that can cause dyspnea (for more information see the article "Drugs for the treatment of myocardial infarction" ).
