Chest pain with
breathlessness, cough and breathing difficulty
Symptoms of chest pain with breathlessness,
cough and breathing difficulties could be due to:
Atrial Fibrillation
Symptoms
and indications: Irregular, rapid heartbeat
and pulse, which are felt as unpleasant palpitations
and may cause chest pain, breathlessness, faintness
and weakness. There may be symptoms of Stroke because
of the formation of blood clots in the heart. In
severe cases, this may lead to heart failure and
death. Immediate medical help should be sought if
a person has these symptoms.
Treatment:
Emergency medical treatment and intensive care in
hospital will be required. This involves attempting
to restore a normal heartbeat by means of electric
shock and drug treatment. The drugs that may be
used include digoxin, betablockers and calcium antagonists.
Surgery and the fitting of a pacemaker is sometimes
required. Underlying heart disease, responsible
for the atrial fibrillation, is also treated, although
this is rarely sufficient to restore the normal
heartbeat on its own.
Persons most
commonly affected: Adults of both sexes
in middle and older age, usually with some form
of heart disease or damage.
Bronchiolitis
or Capillary Bronchitis
Symptoms
and indications: Bronchiolitis usually
develops as a result of a cold or upper respiratory
tract infection. The symptoms are respiratory distress
characterized by laboured, rapid, shallow breathing,
constant hacking cough, flaring of the nostrils,
wheezing and seesaw movements of the chest and abdomen.
On listening to the chest, there are wheezing, crackling
and bubbling sounds. The person may be feverish
and restless or a child may be lethargic. Eventually
the bronchioles and air sacs become blocked with
secretions interfering with the passage of oxygen
into the blood. The person shows signs of cyanosis
with a bluish tinge to the skin, and death may follow
from Asphyxia. In the young and old this can occur
within 48 hours. A person with symptoms of bronchiolitis
requires medical attention. Most patients can be
treated at home under the doctor's supervision,
but those showing signs of fatigue because of laboured
breathing, cyanosis or dehydration need to be admitted
to hospital for intensive nursing.
Treatment:
At home, involves resting in bed, increasing the
humidity in the air by means of steam or a humidifier
to ease breathing, and drinking plenty of clear
liquids. In hospital, oxygen is likely to be given
by means of a tent or a face mask and fluids by
intravenous drip. There may be a need for endotracheal
intubation (a tube through the mouth or nose directly
into the trachea) to deliver oxygen if the person
is very ill.
Persons most
commonly affected: All age groups and
both sexes, especially infants and young children
in whom it sometimes occurs in epidemics.
Pneumoconiosis
Symptoms
and indications: In the early stages
there may be few or no symptoms e.g. coal dust can
be deposited in the lungs without causing much disruption
of lung tissue. However, this situation may change
and the patient may develop progressive massive
fibrosis in which there is damage to the lungs and
distruption of respiratory function. The person
may be breathless, have a cough, pains in the chest,
and shadows on the lungs revealed by X-rays. A person
with symptoms of pneumoconiosis should seek medical
advice.
Treatment:
Preventative measures are mainly aimed at suppression
of dust in the workplace and monitoring of workers.
If X-rays reveal changes in the lungs that are a
cause for concern, the person should no longer work
in this environment. Treatment includes the use
of various drugs such as bronchodilators and analgesics.
Any infections should be promptly treated with antibiotics
and the person should rest in bed during attacks,
until symptoms subside.
Persons most
commonly affected: Men in middle age
or older who have been exposed to dust at work.
Can affect adults of both sexes.
Tapeworms
Symptoms
and indications (and route of infection):
Taenia saginata - the beef tapeworm (many
countries including Europe). People are infected
by eating undercooked beef containing the larval
stages of the parasite. The worm develops into an
adult inside the intestine of the infected person.
Many people experience few or no symptoms. Those
that can occur include pains, hunger, weight loss,
gastrointestinal upset and passing segments of the
worm in the stools.
Taenia solium - the pork tapeworm
(many countries including Europe). People are infected
by eating undercooked pork containing the larval
stages (cysts) of the parasite. The larvae of this
tapeworm tend to migrate and form cysts in various
body tissues. Cysts may form in organs such as the
brain, causing serious symptoms resembling those
of a Brain Tumour.
Echinococuss granulosus - dog
tapeworm (sheep-rearing countries where dogs are
used; Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, Middle
East, Europe, USA). The disease produced is called
hydatid disease. Human beings, often children, are
infected by swallowing the eggs of the tapeworm,
which are present in the faeces of dogs. An infected
dog may pass the eggs to a person by licking or
a child may pick up the eggs on the fingers while
playing on the ground that is contaminated. Inside
the body, the parasite larvae are carried in the
blood circulation and lodge in the liver, kidneys,
lungs, brain or other organs. They form cysts, called
hyatids, that gradually become larger and cause
symptoms due to the pressure they exert. Symptoms
vary according to the organ or tissue affected.
There may be chest pain, cough and coughing up of
blood if the lungs are affected, Jaundice and abdominal
pain, if it is the liver, blindness and Epilepsy
if the brain. The cysts may rupture causing serious
allergic responses including rash, fever or anaphylaxis.
Diphyllobothriasis - fish tapeworm
(Europe, USA, Canada, Africa, Japan). People are
infected by eating raw or undercooked fish. Symptoms
are usually absent or mild but include gastrointestinal
upset and, occasionally, severe Anaemia. Eggs can
be seen in the stools.
Any person who has symptoms of tapeworm
infestation should seek medical advice.
Treatment:
In most cases is by means of drugs to kill and expel
the parasite including niclosamide and praziquantel.
For hydatid disease, treatment involves admittance
to hospital for surgical removal of the cysts, if
this is possible. Drugs, including mebendazole and
albendazole, are also used in treatment, and relieve
symptoms. Most tapeworm infestations can be successfully
dealt with but others may cause lasting tissue and
organ damage that can prove fatal. Preventative
measures include vigilance when travelling abroad,
in eating only meat or fish that has been verified
as having been thoroughly cooked. Domestic animals
and pets should be wormed regularly and strict standards
of hygiene observed, especially to protect young
children.
Persons most
commonly affected: All age groups and
both sexes.
Other problems that could cause
Symptoms of chest pain with breathlessness,
cough and breathing difficulties could be connected
to: Angina pectoris, Aortic valve disease, Asbestosis,
Cardiomyopathy, Emphysema, Mesothelioma, Pericarditis,
Silicosis and others.