Mild shortness of breath

[ebenezerdaddy]

About 15 years ago I developed a short term chemical pneumonitis from accidentally inhaling a chlorine type gas as well as a few other household chemicals over a short period of time.  For several months I had shortness of breath and pain in my lungs.  After being on an inhaled steroid for several months, gradually my symptoms diminished over time.  All along, my airways were clear, not congested.  I am 44 years old now, a non smoker, and recently had a couple week bout with some shortness of breath after being around fumes and solvents that I work with in my garage area at home.  I had a PFT test done that came back mostly negative except for my DLCO being elevated (116%) and my sRaw cmH20/L/s/L being at 187% and only showing a 20% improvements after a nebulizer inhalation.  An albuterol inhaler alone doesn't do much for me, but I am taking advair 100/50 a couple times a day which seems to help.



Question - While I don't seem to have Asthma and wheezing, could I have  "reactive imflamatory" airways that produce similar symptoms, and, would that be treated differently than normal asthma?

Also, why do some people have temporary inflamation that eventually settles down to a somewhat "normal" state, and others can have inflamation that leads to a Pulmonary Fibrosis?



Thanks, w.man

[National Jewish]

Normal pulmonary function tests (PFTs) with an "elevated" DLCO are consistent with asthma or hyperreactive airways due to inflammation caused by your inhalations.  If you had PFTs done immediately after your recent exposure to the solvents in your garage, the results might have been abnormal.  It is possible that they have returned to normal in the interval between exposure and testing.  The sRaw is a sensitive measure of obstruction to airflow but not generally considered a clinically significant measurement.  It could possibly account for your sensation of shortness of breath.  Your response to these inhalant exposures would not be treated any differently than “normal” asthma.



The most important advice is that you strive mightily to avoid all chemical and other irritant exposures, in the future.  The symptoms you have experienced suggest that you may be predisposed to inflammatory diseases of the lungs.



There is currently no universally accepted answer to your second question about temporary inflammation vs inflammation that leads to pulmonary fibrosis.  It is commonly attributed to a genetic or inherited predisposition.

[tnsmileyone]

I have had an ongoing problem with shortness of breathe and sometimes a cough when taking a deep breath.  Though I have had this problem for sometime it has become increasingly bothersome since I began singing in a comtemporary christian band.  I have had Bronchitis more in the last year and sinus problems. I hate to run to the doctors for nothing.  I am not coughing anything up it's just bothersome to breath and cough... I feel like if I could really cough hard and get something up I would be all better.  I sleep with ear plugs because of my snoring hubby and with these plugs in I can hear my breathing and sometimes I hearing a crackling sound perhaps similar to griggling.  My husband says sometimes my breathing sounds heavy and I recall some years earlier in my life I always breathed shallow and my husband would touch me to make sure I was breathing.  I noticed that in the middle of the night or early morning that should I take a deep breath for any reason (like a sigh) I will have a cough that sounds like there is a little congestion.  I apologize for the broad spectrum of things.  Just trying to get an idea of perhaps what I need to be concerned with if anything. I am 46 and in good health. Child of parents and other family memebers who have smoked around me all my life.... Thx for your time.

[Duchess47]

I have the same symptoms as you.  If I exert my voice as in singing, laughing hard etc., I get a dry cough, but I also get hoarse and sometimes end up with laryngitis.  I have been to doc. for this and have been told it is tracheitis.  I have been treated with several different things including steroids.  I have also done absolutely nothing and waited for it to go away. I wish I knew what the cause is because for me it is recurrent. I went to ent who said it is viral.  That's it.

[bjsm2000]

Have you ever had a "sleep study" done?  Sounds like you may have sleep apnea.  I have sleep apnea  - and I had the same symptoms as you for awhile.  I would breathe shallowly then deeply then awaken suddenly - seemingly taking a gasping breath.  And my spouse wold nudge me to see if I was still breathing too.  I went to the hospital overnight for my sleep study and sure enough - I have sleep apnea.