This presentation explains the most common causes of cough, shortness of breath (dyspnea) and tachypnea.

1. CLINICAL VIGNETTE 3:
SHORTNESS OF BREATH
Presented by:
Arwa H. Al-
Onayzan.
ID: 215007943

2. CASE QUESTION
Q1/ what are the common causes of
cough, shortness of breath and
tachypnea?

3. COMMON CAUSES OF COUGH
Cough is an explosive expiratory maneuver that is reflexively intended to
clear the airways.
 It is the 5th most common symptom prompting physician visits.
 Depend on whether the symptoms is acute less than 3 weeks or chronic.
Common causes of acute
cough
Common causes of chronic
cough
• URI (including acute
bronchitis).
• Postnasal drip (allergic, viral
and bacterial origin).
• Pneumonia (viral, bacterial,
aspiration, rarely fungal).
• COPD exacerbation.
• Chronic bronchitis.
• Postnasal drip (allergic most
likely).
• Gastro-esophageal reflux.
• Asthma.
• ACE inhibitors.
• Pertussis
Rare causes
of acute
cough
Rare causes
of chronic
cough
• Foreign
body
aspiratio
n.
• Pulmonar
y
embolism
• Tumor.
• TB or
fungal
infections
.

4. COMMON CAUSES OF
SHORTNESS OF BREATH
 Shortness of breath or dyspnea is unpleasant or uncomfortable
breathing.
 Dyspnea has many pulmonary, cardiac and other causes, which vary by
onset.
 The most common causes include: Asthma, Pneumonia, COPD and
Myocardial ischemia.
Chronic (days to years)
• Pulmonary causes:
• Obstructive lung disease.
• Restrictive lung disease.
• Interstitial lung disease.
• Pleural effusion.
• Cardiac causes:
• Heart failure, Stable angina
or CAD.
• Other causes:
• Anemia, physical
Sub acute (within
hours to days)
• Pulmonary
causes:
• Pneumonia,
COPD.
• Cardiac causes:
• Angina or CAD.
• Pericardial
effusion or
Acute (within minutes)
• Pulmonary causes:
• Pneumothorax, Pulmonary
embolism, Asthma.
• Foreign body inhalation, Toxic
airway damage (inhalation of
hydrogen sulfide).
• Cardiac causes:
• Acute myocardial ischemia or
infraction.
• Papillary muscle dysfunction, Heart

5. COMMON CAUSES OF
TACHYPNEA
 Tachypnea is the medical term for rapid and shallow breathing, often
confused with hyperventilation, which is breathing that is rapid but deep.
 Physiological causes of tachypnea include: exercise.
 Pathophysiological causes include:
 Sepsis, compensation for diabetic ketoacidosis or other metabolic
acidosis, pneumonia.
 Pleural effusion, carbon monoxide poisoning, pulmonary embolism,
asthma, COPD.
 Laryngospasm, allergic reaction causing airway edema, foreign body
aspiration.
 Tracheobronchomalacia, congestive heart failure, anxiety states.

6. SUMMARY
I talked
about:
Common
causes of
tachypnea
Common
causes of
dyspnea
Common
causes of
Cough

7. REFERENCE
 THE MERK MANUAL (NINETEENTH EDITION, P. 1828-1837).