Shortness of Breath: Is it a sign of a serious disease?

Rigomo Team

Sun, 05 Oct 2025

Many different heart issues cause shortness of breath [SOB] or breathlessness. It may happen suddenly sometimes or bit by bit over time. It's normal to feel breathless while exercising or doing some strenuous activity.

But, you should never ignore unexplained SOB, because it may indicate a severe underlying health condition. If you experience shortness of breath, please get medical aid immediately.

If you've got any heart health issues, a visit to a specialist is needed for a comprehensive analysis of symptoms and signs to diagnose and treat issues.

Unexplained shortness of breath could signal an underlying condition associated with the structure or function of your heart. Below is the list of serious and frequently diagnosed heart conditions which can give rise to Shortness of Breath.

Coronary Artery Disease

Two main coronary arteries, the Left main and Right coronary arteries supply blood to the heart. These arteries could develop issues resulting in serious conditions.

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most common heart ailment occurring due to the build-up of plaque in the walls of the coronary arteries resulting in narrowing and eventually occlusion of those arteries.

These cholesterol-rich fatty deposits (plaques) decrease blood flow to the heart muscle resulting in a condition referred to as Angina and raising the danger of an attack. Symptoms might not appear till there's a major reduction in blood flow.

Shortness of breath, particularly effort breathing with chest pain is seen with underlying CAD.

Heart attack

An attack happens once the heart muscle doesn't receive enough blood and nutrients to perform properly. This can happen if you've got risk factors for CAD, which include diabetes, High cholesterol, smoking, and a case history of arterial blood vessel disease.

While pain is the most typical symptom of an attack, other symptoms may Shortness of breath and worsening fatigue.

Heart failure

Heart failure is a condition when the heart is unable to pump enough blood to the organs of the body. This can be caused by either weak cardiac muscle that is simply too weak to pump enough blood to the body (heart failure with reduced ejection fraction) or a thick, stiff cardiac muscle that doesn't relax enough so that enough blood comes into the heart (heart failure with preserved ejection fraction)

Shortness of breath is the most typical symptom of failure. It's a distressing feeling which will cause you to feel smothered, Shortness of breath happens with effort however could get worse and worse and eventually occur at rest in severe cases. It usually is worse lying flat on your back and patients typically get up from sleep and stay up to catch their breath.

Causes of failure embrace CAD, long-standing cardiovascular disease, and weak cardiac muscle which could be hereditary or is also secondary to diseases like CAD. A weakened cardiac muscle may additionally be caused by infections that directly harm the heart (myocarditis) most notably there are multiple reports of Covid-19 inflicting myocardial inflammation and eventually resulting in heart condition and failure

It is vital that failure is diagnosed early and treated to enhance the quality of life, and cut back hospitalizations and death from failure.

Cardiac arrhythmias

Heart rhythm abnormalities, conditions in which your heart either beats on an irregular basis, out of phase, too quick or too slow could give rise to shortness of breath, these conditions can be managed effectively if diagnosed early.

Common symptoms like shortness of breath and giddiness need careful analysis by a specialist.

Valvular heart disease

Valvular heart disease occurs when valves of the heart do not work properly. It can occur either due to valvular stenosis or valvular insufficiency.

o   Valvular stenosis: The tissues forming the valve leaflets become stiffer resulting in narrowing the valve opening and thereby the amount of blood that can flow through it, is reduced. If the VALVE becomes very narrow or stenosed, the function of heart is impaired and the body does not receive adequate blood and nutrients.

o   Valvular Insufficiency: Condition when the leaflets do not close completely, permitting blood to leak backward through the valve. This flow is also known as “regurgitant flow.”

Both these valvular conditions can cause severe shortness of breath, which needs early diagnosis so that it can be managed effectively.