Sign-in to Ask A Doctor - 24x7
OR
Sign in with Google
What Causes Low Blood Oxygen Saturation Levels With Breathing Difficulty?
Question: Female, 37, 215lbs, ex-smoker of 20 years, no drinking, no drugs, family history of heart disease.
I have been diagnosed with angina. I have no arterial blockage or build up. Every time I get up to do anything my blood oxygen levels drop. the lowest I let it get is 74 before I absolutely have to sit down. This has been going on since November 2016. No changes. I have had a running stress test ( haha that was fun) 145/43. Everything else was normal. Numerous blood tests all came back normal. All heart tests came back normal. I don't know what else to do. Not being able to breath is terrifying. At this point I have no job and had to move in with family. Can you help?
XXXX
I have been diagnosed with angina. I have no arterial blockage or build up. Every time I get up to do anything my blood oxygen levels drop. the lowest I let it get is 74 before I absolutely have to sit down. This has been going on since November 2016. No changes. I have had a running stress test ( haha that was fun) 145/43. Everything else was normal. Numerous blood tests all came back normal. All heart tests came back normal. I don't know what else to do. Not being able to breath is terrifying. At this point I have no job and had to move in with family. Can you help?
XXXX
Brief Answer:
COPD?
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
have they diagnosed anything else besides angina? Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) sounds very likely for a patient with a long smoking history (many packs-years) and shortness of breath on exertion, particularly if there is genetic predisposition for COPD like a1-antitrypsin deficiency. Arterial blood gases to confirm the low oxygen are required because there are cases where the oxymetry is not sufficient to prove it - as it may be falsely decreased for some reasons.
If the oxygen is indeed low then assessment by a pulmonologist would be necessary. A spirometry and perhaps also diagnostic imaging would be helpful.
If COPD is the cause, then bronchodilators will help. Oxygen may be needed depending on test results.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
Kind regards!
COPD?
Detailed Answer:
Hello,
have they diagnosed anything else besides angina? Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) sounds very likely for a patient with a long smoking history (many packs-years) and shortness of breath on exertion, particularly if there is genetic predisposition for COPD like a1-antitrypsin deficiency. Arterial blood gases to confirm the low oxygen are required because there are cases where the oxymetry is not sufficient to prove it - as it may be falsely decreased for some reasons.
If the oxygen is indeed low then assessment by a pulmonologist would be necessary. A spirometry and perhaps also diagnostic imaging would be helpful.
If COPD is the cause, then bronchodilators will help. Oxygen may be needed depending on test results.
I hope you find my comments helpful!
Kind regards!
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
They did as x-ray of my lungs they came back clear... I also have no coughing (surprisingly) would COPD show up that way?
Brief Answer:
that would have been strange...
Detailed Answer:
A clear chest X-ray does not exclude interstitial lung disease or COPD, so if your doctor suspects any of those, a CT scan would be required for the first and spirometry for the latter. No cough usually means no COPD. At first patients with COPD may have cough only on exertion but patients with very low oxygen saturation are expected to have all the symptoms.
I understand you've gone under cardiological evaluation so I've not considered causes like pulmonary hypertension. An ultrasound scan of the heart (echo) should have detected that or other heart-related causes.
Kind regards!
that would have been strange...
Detailed Answer:
A clear chest X-ray does not exclude interstitial lung disease or COPD, so if your doctor suspects any of those, a CT scan would be required for the first and spirometry for the latter. No cough usually means no COPD. At first patients with COPD may have cough only on exertion but patients with very low oxygen saturation are expected to have all the symptoms.
I understand you've gone under cardiological evaluation so I've not considered causes like pulmonary hypertension. An ultrasound scan of the heart (echo) should have detected that or other heart-related causes.
Kind regards!
Note: For further follow up on related General & Family Physician Click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Answered by
Get personalised answers from verified doctor in minutes across 80+ specialties
