I Can't Catch My Breath — Do I Have a Heart Problem?

At West Houston Heart Center in Houston, Texas, Dr. Humayun Naqvi and his team offer preventative cardiology to help protect you against heart disease and reduce chances of a cardiovascular event. Let’s talk about shortness of breath and potential heart complications.  

Different things that can cause shortness of breath

Before assuming that you’re having a heart attack because you can’t catch your breath, let’s take a look at some other more common reasons for shortness of breath.

Allergies and/or asthma

If you have asthma or airborne allergies, shortness of breath can be a common symptom. If you’ve had shortness of breath before due to these symptoms, it’s more likely you’re simply having a worse-than-usual episode. 

Take your prescribed inhaler medication and see if you quickly improve. If not, treat your condition like a medical emergency and get checked out — it may not be a heart attack, but respiratory difficulty is never something to take lightly.

Anxiety

A bad anxiety attack can cause shortness of breath and tightness in your chest. This can turn into a panic attack and make you think you’re having a heart attack. A quick visit to an urgent care center can usually clear things up.

Lung problems

There are plenty of respiratory issues that can cause shortness of breath that have more to do with your lungs than your heart, such as COPD. Here’s a look at how the symptoms of a heart attack and the symptoms of lung-related breathing issues stack up:

Heart attack:

• Shortness of breath worsens when lying flat or sleeping
• Breathlessness originally is worse during activity, but progresses to at-rest breathing
• Fluid-related symptoms show up (edema or swelling in the legs and feet)
• Additional signs include fatigue, dizziness, chest pressure, and an uneven heartbeat

Lung issues:

• Wet wheezing and/or a mucus-producing cough
• Breathlessness is acutely worse during activity and may become chronic
• Frequent chest infections that may be accompanied by fever
• Additional signs include bluish lips and fingers (cyanosis) and whistling when breathing

Both heart- and lung-related issues can be serious, so it’s best to see a doctor if your symptoms worsen instead of going away.

When to see a heart specialist

Breathlessness is just one potential sign of a heart problem. Common additional symptoms include sharp pain in your chest, heaviness like “an elephant is sitting on your chest,” confusion, and blacking out. Ideally, if you’re having a heart attack, you should be taken directly to the emergency room. 

If you’re at high risk for a heart attack, it’s best to be checked by a specialist and have some tests run to evaluate your immediate danger for a cardiac event.

Risk factors for heart attack 

Some of the most common risk factors that can make you more prone to a heart attack include:

• Previous heart attack
• Family history of heart attack
• Smoking
• Diabetes
• High blood pressure
• High cholesterol
• Kidney disease
• Obesity
• Alcohol abuse

If your medical history indicates you’re at high risk for a cardiac event, Dr. Naqvi will order diagnostics to find out if you have an enlarged heart, narrowing of your arteries, or other common precursors to a heart attack. 

Is shortness of breath giving you cause for concern? Schedule an appointment at West Houston Heart Center. Call us at 832-400-3957, or request an appointment online.