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Shortness of breath & palpitations
Hi
I was diagnosed with severe COVID in 2021. Post that, I have episodes where I have shortness of breath while lying down and palpitations.
Last year I did chext x ray and ecg which was normal.
Should any tests be done again? What can be cause?
Answers (12)
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Breathlessness on lying points us towards cardiac pathology. A thorough cardiac evaluation required despite normal ECG
Next Steps
Echo , Cardiac stress test , Cardiologist opinion
PFT and HRCT for lung pathology and Pulmonologist opinion
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If you are experiencing shortness of breath and palpitations when lying down post-COVID, with normal X-ray and ECG results, the next steps could include:
1. Pulmonary Evaluation: Consider a pulmonary function test (PFT) to assess for any lingering lung issues that might not show up on an X-ray, such as reactive airway disease or long COVID-related lung changes.
2. Cardiac Evaluation: Despite a normal ECG, further cardiac evaluation might be warranted. This could include an echocardiogram to look for any structural heart issues or a Holter monitor to detect any intermittent arrhythmias.
3. Blood Tests: Checking blood tests such as complete blood count (CBC), D-dimer (to rule out pulmonary embolism), thyroid function tests, and cardiac biomarkers (like troponin) could be informative.
4. Sleep Study: If symptoms worsen when lying down, a sleep study to evaluate for sleep apnea or other sleep-related breathing disorders might be helpful.
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The symptoms that you experience are more commonly seen in the post COVID period .since COVID 19 viral infection targets the lung tissue, the first organ to get damaged is lungs, and that takes time to recover, and it may affect your breathing pattern also, causing shortness of breath.Its good for you to have review at regular intervals and when the symptoms persists for longer periods
Next Steps
you can go for Ecg and chest x-ray
and if you feel tired and accompanied by upper respiratory tract infections like running nose and fever, go for complete blood count also .
Health Tips
try to do breathing exercises slowly and try to rest in the position of ease
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