TREATMENTS &
RESEARCH
latest
treatment
information
here.
Dr. Huntley's
Diagnosis
Checklist
See what questions
a doctor would ask.
DIAGNOSIS CHECKLIST
for Breathing difficulties
Questions Your Doctor May Ask - and Why!
During a consultation, your doctor will use various techniques in his assesment of the symptom: Breathing difficulties. These may include a physical examination or other medical tests. Your doctor may ask several questions when assessing your condition. It is important to remember that your consultation is a two-way process and any extra information you can share with your doctor may help them with their diagnosis.
Some of the questions your doctor may ask are listed below:
- Was the onset sudden or gradual?
Why: if sudden consider adult respiratory distress syndrome, pulmonary embolism, pneumothorax, lung collapse. If gradual onset, consider chronic diseases such as congestive cardiac failure, emphysema and fibrosis.
- What makes the breathing problems worse?
Why: e.g. exertion, laying flat in bed.
- Recent history of bleeding?
Why: e.g. heavy periods with clots, vomiting blood, bloody stools, rectal bleeding - may suggest anemia as cause for breathing problems.
- Past Medical history?
Why: previous respiratory illness e.g. pneumonia, tuberculosis, chronic bronchitis; previous heart problems; HIV infection ( at high risk for Pneumocystis carinii pneumonia); previous high blood pressure, ischemic heart disease, heart attack, heart valve disease, deep venous thrombosis or Rheumatic fever@`
- Medications?
Why: many different medications can produce lung problems 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; cough from ACE inhibitor @blood pressure medications.
- Cigarette smoking?
Why: number of packets per day and number of years you have smoked. Smoking is a major risk cause of lung cancer, chronic bronchitis and emphysema. Passive smoking exposure is also regarded as a significant risk.
- Occupational history?
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.
- Family history?
Why: asthma, cystic fibrosis, emphysema, alpha-1-anti-typsin deficiency, tuberculosis, heart attacks.
- How long have you had the breathing difficulties?
Why: to determine if acute or chronic.
- Drug taking history?
Why: cocaine or injected narcotic drugs can cause breathing difficulties.
- Alcohol history?
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.
Questions your doctor may ask about related symptoms:
Sometimes, other symptoms may be present and may help your doctor analyse your condition. These may include:
- Sputum
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 due to left ventricular heart failure; blood in sputum can be a serious sign of lung disease and must always be investigated.
- Audible wheeze?
Why: may suggest asthma, chronic bronchitis, emphysema, airways obstruction (by a foreign body or tumor) or left ventricular heart failure.
- Stridor (a rasping noise heard loudest on inspiration)?
Why: indicates obstruction of the larynx, trachea or large airways by a foreign body, a tumor or infection e.g. epiglottitis.
- Fever?
Why: e.g. fever at night may suggest tuberculosis, pneumonia of mesothelioma ( tumor of lung lining due to asbestos exposure).
- Chest pain?
Why: may be due to lung or heart disease.
- Orthopnea (breathlessness lying down flat)?
Why: suggests left ventricular heart failure.
- Paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea (inappropriate severe breathlessness causing waking from sleep)?
Why: suggests left ventricular failure.
- Ankle swelling?
Why: may suggest heart failure.
- Palpitations of the heart?
Why: - may indicate that heart arrhythmia may be the cause of breath problems.
- Fever and pus-like sputum?
Why: suggests pneumonia.
- Chest pain with blood in sputum?
Why: need to rule out pulmonary embolism.
» Next page: Types of Breathing difficulties
Medical Tools & Articles:
Next articles:
- Types of Breathing difficulties
- News about Breathing difficulties
- Symptom combinations for Breathing difficulties
- Common causes of Breathing difficulties
- Travel-related causes of Breathing difficulties
Tools & Services:
- Bookmark this page
- Take a survey relating to Breathing difficulties
- Symptom Search
- Symptom Checker
- Medical Dictionary
- Give your feedback
Medical Articles:
Forums & Message Boards
Major Disease Research
symptoms, treatments,
and misdiagnosis
of major diseases.
Multiple Symptom
Checker
or many
symptoms
» Symptom checker
» Medical dictionary
» Videos
» Ask a Doctor
» Find a Doctor
» Find a Therapist
» Misdiagnosis center
» Forums & Message Boards
