“I am experiencing a shortness of breath while walking. Should I get my ECG done?”
I have shortness of breath when I'm waking short distances, and this feeling is happening all of a sudden. Do you think I should get my chest ECG done?
6 Answers
This is definitely a potentially significant symptom. You should immediately see your physician or a cardiologist. They would likely perform an EKG and possibly a stress test. This can be a sign of coronary artery blockage that can preceed a heart attack. In other cases this could be related to heart valve problems or a silent heart attack that was not recognized. This is a symptom that should not be ignored.
The first thing you should do is go see your doctor. If you do not have a doctor you need to establish a relationship with a primary care physician. The physician would be able to evaluate you and then guide you on what you need for your shortness of breath.
Yes. See your doctor. Soon.
An event monitor is a much better modality to correlate symptoms of shortness of breath that an EKG. You may also purchase on Amazon a continuous telemetry monitor for your phone called Kardia/Alivecor to do the same thing.
An ECG won't show much, but you do need to see someone about this. Is it shortness of breath or tightness around the chest, the latter sounds more cardiac, but there are many causes of breathlessness with exertion and I would suggest you get a medical opinion. A simple ECG won't show anything useful.
Regards,
Gerald Lewis, MD
Regards,
Gerald Lewis, MD
It certainly would help to have an ECG for initial evaluation. However, depending on your age and risk factors for heart disease you might need to be checked by a cardiologist who might ask you to perform a stress testing for further evaluation.
