Week 5 - Dyspnoea

Question 1

What is dyspnoea

Answer 1

Subjective feeling of breathing discomfort. It is a symptom, not a sign.

Question 2

3 areas of dyspnoea

Answer 2

Air hunger, working harder to breath, chest tightness

Question 3

Why do we experience air hunger

Answer 3

Driven by peripheral chemoreceptors in aortic arch and carotid body sensing changes in PaCO2 and PaCO2. And central chemoreceptors in the medulla sensitive to changes in the CSF hydrogen ions or CO2. These send signals to pre-motor cortex and cardiorespiratory, resulting in deeper breaths and an increase in respiratory rate.

Question 4

Why do we experience “working harder to breath”

Answer 4

Increased neural drive through more motor efferent nerve signals to respiratory muscles. Increased afferent feedback from muscle spindles, receptors and connective tissue back to sensory cortex interpreted as working harder.

Question 5

Why do we experience chest tightness during dyspnoea

Answer 5

Mechanoreceptors and chemoreceptors in lung tissue feedback to sensory cortex the tension in the airways, volume in lungs, or presence of any noxious chemical agents. Also muscles will feedback to sensory cortex of their mechanical tension and stretch.

Question 6

Orthopnoea definition

Answer 6

Sensation of breahtlessness in the recumbent position (laying down)

Question 7

How do combat orthopnoea

Answer 7

Sitting up, adding more pillows to sleep further up right