Adequate for an adult breathing rate, provided it is determined at rest, is from 8 to 16 breaths per minute. It is normal for an infant to take up to 44 breaths per minute.
Reasons
Frequent shallow breathing occurs due to the following reasons:
- pneumonia or other infectious lung injuries;
- asthma;
- bronchiolitis;
- hypoxia;
- heart failure;
- transient tachypnea in newborns;
- shocks;
- poisoning of various nature;
- diabetes diabetes;
- brain pathologies (primary: TBI, thromboembolism, spasm of cerebral vessels; secondary: circulatory disorders, tuberculous meningitis).
Respiratory symptoms
- Change in breathing rate: either an excessive increase in respiratory movements (in this case, shallow breathing is observed, when exhalations and inhalations are very short), or its excessive slowdown (respiratory movements are very deep).
- Changes in the respiratory rhythm: the intervals between exhalations and inhalations can bevarious, in some cases, respiratory movements stop for seconds or minutes, and then resume.
- Lack of consciousness. This symptom is not directly related to respiratory problems, however, in the case of a very serious condition of the patient, respiratory problems occur in an unconscious state.
Forms of respiratory disorders that are manifested by shallow breathing
- Cheyne-Stokes breathing.
- Hyperventilation neurogenic.
- Tachypnea.
- Biota breathing.
Central hyperventilation
Represents deep (shallow) and frequent breathing (respiratory rate reaches 25-60 movements per minute). Often accompanied by damage to the midbrain (located between the hemispheres of the brain and its stem).
Cheyne-Stokes breathing
A pathological form of breathing, characterized by a deepening and acceleration of respiratory movements, and then their transition to more superficial and rare ones, and at the end a pause, after which the cycle repeats again.
Such changes in breathing occur due to an excess of carbon dioxide in the blood, which disrupts the work of the respiratory center. In young children, such a change in breathing is observed quite often and disappears with age.
In adult patients, Cheyne-Stokes shallow breathing develops due to:
- asthmatic status;
- circulatory disorders in the brain (hemorrhages, vascular spasms, strokes);
- dropsy (hydrocephalus);
- intoxication of various genesis (drug overdose, poisoning with drugs, alcohol, nicotine, chemicals);
- TBI;
- diabetic coma;
- atherosclerosis of cerebral vessels;
- heart failure;
- uremic coma (with kidney failure).
Tachypnea
Refers to a type of shortness of breath. Breathing in this case is superficial, but its rhythm is not changed. Due to the superficiality of respiratory movements, insufficient ventilation of the lungs develops, sometimes dragging on for several days. Most often, such shallow breathing occurs in he althy patients during heavy physical exertion or nervous strain. It disappears without a trace when the above factors are eliminated and is converted into a normal rhythm. Occasionally develops against the background of some pathologies.
Biota breathing
Synonym: atactic breathing. This disorder is characterized by irregular respiratory movements. At the same time, deep breaths turn into shallow breathing, interspersed with a complete absence of respiratory movements. Atactic breathing accompanies damage to the back of the brainstem.
Diagnosis
If the patient has any changes in the frequency / depth of breathing, you will need to urgently consult a doctor, especially if such changes are combined with:
- hyperthermia (high temperature);
- pulling or other chest painswhen inhaling/exhaling;
- shortness of breath;
- new tachypnea;
- greyish or bluish skin, lips, nails, periorbital area, gums.
To diagnose the pathologies that cause shallow breathing, the doctor conducts a series of studies:
1. Collection of anamnesis and complaints:
- prescription and features of the onset of the symptom (for example, weak shallow breathing);
- prior to the occurrence of violations of any significant event: poisoning, injury;
- speed of manifestation of respiratory disorders in case of loss of consciousness.
2. Inspection:
- determining the depth, as well as the frequency of respiratory movements produced;
- determining the level of consciousness;
- determining the presence / absence of signs of brain damage (decrease in muscle tone, strabismus, the appearance of pathological reflexes, the state of the pupils and their reaction to light: pinpoint (narrow) pupils that react poorly to light - a sign of damage to the brain stem; wide pupils that do not react to light - a sign of damage to the midbrain;
- examination of the abdomen, neck, head, heart and lungs.
3. Blood analysis (general and biochemistry), in particular, the determination of the level of creatinine and urea, as well as oxygen saturation.
4. Acid-base composition of the blood (presence / absence of acidification of the blood).
5. Toxicology: presence / absence of toxic substances (drugs, drugs, heavy metals).
6. MRI,CT.
7. Neurosurgical consultation.
8. Chest x-ray.
9. Pulse oximetry.
10. ECG.
11. Lung scanning for changes in ventilation and perfusion of the organ.
Treatment
The first priority in the treatment of shallow breathing is to eliminate the main cause that caused the appearance of this condition:
- Detoxification (antidotes, infusions), vitamins C, B, hemodialysis for uremia (kidney failure), and for meningitis, antibiotics/antivirals.
- Elimination of cerebral edema (diuretics, corticosteroids).
- Means to improve brain nutrition (metabolism, neurotrophy).
- Transfer to a ventilator (if necessary).
Complications
Shallow breathing in itself does not cause any serious complications, but it can lead to hypoxia (oxygen starvation) due to changes in the respiratory rhythm. That is, superficial respiratory movements are unproductive, as they do not provide the proper supply of oxygen to the body.
Shallow breathing in a child
Normal breathing rate is different for children of different ages. So, newborns take up to 50 breaths per minute, children up to a year - 25-40, up to 3 years - 25 (up to 30), 4-6 years - up to 25 breaths under normal conditions.
If a child of 1-3 years old performs more than 35 respiratory movements, and 4-6 years old - more than 30 per minute, then such breathing can be regardedboth superficial and frequent. At the same time, an insufficient amount of air penetrates into the lungs and its bulk is retained in the bronchi and trachea, which do not take part in gas exchange. For normal ventilation, such respiratory movements are clearly not enough.
As a result of this condition, children often suffer from acute respiratory viral infections and acute respiratory infections. In addition, shallow frequent breathing leads to the development of bronchial asthma or asthmatic bronchitis. Therefore, parents should definitely contact the doctor to find out the reason for the change in the frequency / depth of breathing in the baby.
In addition to diseases, such changes in breathing can be the result of hypodynamia, overweight, stooping habits, increased gas formation, posture disorders, lack of walks, hardening and sports.
In addition, shallow rapid breathing in babies can develop due to prematurity (lack of surfactant), hyperthermia (high temperature) or stressful situations.
Rapid shallow breathing most often develops in children with the following pathologies:
- bronchial asthma;
- pneumonia;
- allergies;
- pleurisy;
- rhinitis;
- laryngitis;
- tuberculosis;
- chronic bronchitis;
- pathologies of the heart.
Therapy for shallow breathing, as in adult patients, is aimed at eliminating the causes that caused it. In any case, the baby must be shown to the doctor in order to make a correct diagnosis and prescribe adequate treatment.
You may need to consult the followingspecialists:
- pediatrician;
- pulmonologist;
- psychiatry;
- allergist;
- children's cardiologist.
