Shortness of breath can be caused by a number of different factors. It is one of the symptoms that is felt at the onset of a heart attack or heart failure as the heart struggles to get enough oxygen. A person can also strain to breathe if they are severely obese and are participating in a physical activity. Getting breathless is during exercise or physical activity is expected but not after just a minute or two or minimal exertion.
Smokers and shortness of breath
When you visit a doctor with the symptom of being short of breath, the focus will immediately be on your lungs. This is because cigarettes contain an overwhelming 4,000 chemicals. Out of these, 50 are carcinogenic. This has been verified by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). These chemicals have been proven to cause short and long-term damage mostly to the lungs. Doctors will straight away want to examine the lungs because, in smokers, the symptom of shortness of breath could be indicative of lung damage. People who have been smoking for a long tt are in fact at significant risk of developing lung cancer, asthma, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The Chronic pulmonary disease may start as pulmonary hypertension or as high blood pressure between the heart and the lungs. The disease is described as the reduced capacity of cardiopulmonary blood vessels to carry out the viable metabolic function of exchanging oxygen and carbon dioxide. Smokers have compromised levels of oxygen because of the carbon monoxide and other gases that are in cigarette smoke. These toxins lower the oxygen levels that the lungs carry to the bloodstream and they are carried to the rest of the body by the heart. Pulmonary hypertension further compromises oxygen levels.
Doctors will also want to examine the heart of a smoker who has shortness of breath. This is because when a heart is damaged by smoking, it will not be very efficient at pumping more blood to maintain the right levels of oxygen in the cells. This may result in congestive heart failure which can make it difficult to exercise or to withstand any kind of exertion because this would increase chances of a stroke or heart attack.
No time wasted
Studies at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Centre have shown that it takes just a few seconds after taking a puff of a cigarette for the lung function to change. The lung has cilia which function to clean out the lungs. They slow down seconds after the first puff and will function at a slower rate for several hours after the cigarette has been put out. Apart from this, more mucus than usual is produced after smoking. This mucus is thicker than normal which makes it harder for the lungs to clear it out.
Smokers are also prone to a disease known as COPD. According to the National Institute of Health, this disease is common and its leading cause is smoking. It can take the form of emphysema or chronic bronchitis. The disease presents with symptoms of a cough with mucus, fatigue, wheezing and shortness of breath. Smokers are also more vulnerable to asthma and cancer.
Avoid shortness of breath, heart and respiratory problems with liquid cigarettes
Despite the problems it causes, it is very difficult indeed to quit smoking. However, it is possible to quit over time and still enjoy the experience of smoking by smoking liquid cigarettes. The best brands, such as Liquido24, are made to imitate actual cigarettes in terms of lighting up a cigarette and getting a certain flavour. The difference is that they have much lower levels of toxins. They have successfully been used to stop smoking over time or if not stop altogether, switch to smoking a much less harmful “cigarette”. They come in a number of different flavours.