Peer Reviewed
Feature Article Respiratory medicine
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New-onset dyspnoea in the young adult: consider the serious causes

Rohan Jayasinghe, Dale Murdoch, Pathmanathan Sivakumaran
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Abstract
It is prudent to consider potentially serious causes in a young adult patient presenting with insidious-onset dyspnoea. Such causes include heart failure due to cardiomyopathy and pulmonary arterial hypertension.
Key Points
  • Dyspnoea is a common symptom in young adults but is not a diagnosis.
  • In most cases, diagnosis of the cause of dyspnoea is made with history, clinical examination and simple investigations.
  • Consider serious diseases in a young patient presenting with insidious-onset dyspnoea and no obvious cause.
  • Heart failure due to cardiomyopathy and pulmonary arterial hypertension are diseases that occur in young, previously healthy individuals.
  • Baseline investigations include ECG, chest x-ray and blood tests.
  • Referral for echocardiogram and specialist opinion is essential for those in whom the cause is unclear.
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