Shortness of breath: A dangerous symptom

LOS ANGELES, Nov 2, 2005 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Los Angeles scientists say people with shortness of breath may have a higher risk of dying from cardiac disease than even patients suffering chest pain.

The study at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center was based on retrospective evaluation of medical records of nearly 18,000 patients referred for cardiac stress testing.

Researchers found when compared to patients without SOB, those with SOB are significantly more likely to experience death from cardiac causes.

"Patients often do not interpret shortness of breath as a serious symptom, but particularly in patients who have cardiac risk factors and in patients without lung disease, it may be the only sign of the presence of serious coronary artery disease," said Dr. Daniel Berman, senior author of the study.

Researchers found patients without known coronary artery disease who had SOB were four times more likely to suffer cardiac-caused death than asymptomatic patients and twice as likely as patients suffering chest pain.

Berman said that may be due, in part, to the fact doctors are more likely to send patients with chest pain to bypass surgery or angioplasty than patients with only shortness of breath.

The study appears in The New England Journal of Medicine.

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