As age increases, the body often has many changes such as reduced endurance, easy fatigue when exercising, or more time to recover after exercise. Therefore, many people think that shortness of breath is a normal sign of the aging process.
However, cardiologists warn against being subjective about this symptom, especially when shortness of breath appears in daily activities.
Dr. Deebanshu Gupta, an interventional cardiologist at Sarvodya Hospital (Jalandhar, India) said that prolonged shortness of breath is not a normal manifestation of old age. If symptoms appear suddenly or become increasingly severe, it may be a sign of heart disease, including heart failure.
Changes in the heart as the body ages
According to Dr. Gupta, as age increases, the cardiovascular system also undergoes certain changes. Blood vessels may become harder, the heart muscle thickens, and the maximum heart rate gradually decreases, reducing endurance when exercising vigorously.
Therefore, older people may feel tired when exercising at high intensity or climbing many steps. However, simple activities such as light walking, dressing, or doing housework usually do not cause significant shortness of breath in healthy people. If these things also make you short of breath, it may not just be due to age.
When can shortness of breath be related to heart failure?
Cardiac failure occurs when the heart cannot pump blood effectively to provide enough oxygen to the body. At that time, fluids can accumulate in the lungs and cause shortness of breath.
Some warning signs include:
Shortness of breath when performing light activities
Shortness of breath when lying on your back
Waking up at night because of a feeling of lack of air
Need many pillows when sleeping for easy breathing
Swelling of ankles or calves
Prolonged fatigue or unexplained weight gain
These symptoms usually progress slowly for weeks or months, so they are easily overlooked.
Who is at higher risk?
The risk of heart failure may increase in people with hypertension, type 2 diabetes, obesity, or coronary artery disease. People who have had a myocardial infarction are also at higher risk.
According to experts, early detection and good control of these diseases can help reduce the risk of heart failure.
Differentiating difficulty breathing due to old age and signs of the disease
Shortness of breath due to aging usually only occurs when exercising vigorously and quickly improves after rest, and does not significantly affect daily life.
Conversely, shortness of breath due to heart disease can appear even when light activity occurs, occurs when lying down and becomes more severe over time. Patients may also be accompanied by swelling or prolonged fatigue.
Experts recommend that if shortness of breath affects daily life or abnormalities appear, patients should go for an early check-up for cardiovascular check-ups and timely treatment.
