Understanding dyspnoea by its language: Fig. 1

Dyspnoea is a general term used to characterise a range of qualitatively distinct descriptors that vary in intensity. Based on the hypothesis that various qualities of respiratory discomfort result from different pathophysiological abnormalities, language could help to define one or more of the abnormalities responsible for breathing discomfort. The use of descriptors of dyspnoea may contribute to the understanding of the mechanisms of dyspnoea, and assist in identifying or predicting a specific diagnosis. Symptoms that can be reliably discriminated imply different pathophysiological mechanisms, whereas symptoms that cannot be reliably discriminated imply similar pathophysiological mechanisms. Since dyspnoea is a fundamental part of patient's clinical history, physicians should become more fluent in the language of dyspnoea.