Key result
Systematic clinical evaluation remains essential to distinguish cardiac from pulmonary causes of breathlessness.
Why the study?
Breathlessness is a common, multifactorial complaint encountered by cardiologists, making it imperative to distinguish cardiac etiologies from pulmonary, neurological, and other systemic causes.
This review summarizes the clinical approach to evaluating dyspnea, emphasizing the differentiation of cardiac from non-cardiac causes.
Supports structured dyspnea assessment; leaves open prospective validation of diagnostic pathways.
"Breathlessness" or dyspnoea is a common, subjective symptom that can be multifactorial. It is a frequent complaint encountered by cardiologists, both in the outpatient and inpatient clinical setting. It requires a comprehensive clinical evaluation including accurate history taking and pursuing appropriate clinical investigations. It is imperative to distinguish cardiac causes of dyspnoea from other causes, including pulmonary, neurological and other systemic conditions. In this review we attempt to summarise the approach to the evaluation of dyspnoea.
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Bhuí et al. (2025) conducted a review in Breathlessness (Dyspnoea). A systematic clinical evaluation including history, examination, and first-line investigations is essential to distinguish cardiac from pulmonary causes of breathlessness.
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