what would cause SOB in a normally healthy person?

Question

(SOB - shortness of breath)

i quit smoking 3 months ago, and had congenital asthma (outgrew it by age 2). i'm a physically fit person, so it doesn't make sense for me to have to catch my breath after going up the stairs.

I also get SOB when i get nervous.

Answer 1

I don't know how old you are now, but sometimes Asthma sticks around. To rule it out, you would need to take a Pulmonary Function test. If that's not convenient, you could measure your peak flow with peak flow meter before and after some asthma medication to see if there is a change (that would be the cheaper way to go).

As for the smoking, it may also depend on how long you've been smoking. Severity of smoking is measured in pack-years. Pack years is the number of years you've smoked times the number of packs per day you smoked. The larger the pack-year number, the larger the severity.

If you have SOB on exertion, there may be other problems causing it other than asthma. You could have diffusion problems secondary interstitial lung problems. This would impair the ability of air to reach the blood stream (thus making you short of breath).

"Physically fit" implies you're not overweight. However, most folks with emphysema are also not overweight. They're usualy quite thin.

So if you want to really figure out what's wrong, go for the Pulmonary Function Test (it will rule out asthma, diffusion problems, and emphysema). You could also alternatively use a pulse oximeter to measure changes while you exert yourself up the stairs. You'll see if you're getting enough oxygen on exertion.

Good luck.

Answer 2

Do you suffer from panic attacks? I used to smoke too and I get SOB. I also suffer with panic attacks when nervous that also causes SOB.
If these symptoms sound familier, and you want advice, contact me by e-mail.

Answer 3

There are several reasons for SOB to occur.

The following link may be helpful to get more information on SOB.

http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/respiratoryproblems/resp4936.html

Answer 4

Probably have Anxiety attacks every few months for the first year

I had to go to the hospital 5 times with mine