Shortness of breath is a difficult symptom to assess. There are a variety of causes of breathessness.
1. Obesity
2. Lung disease
3. Smoking
4. Coronary ischaemia
5. Stiff heart syndrome (Diastolic dysfunction)
6. Pulmonary hypertension
7. Pulmonary embolism
The medical term for shortness of breat is dyspnea. Often there are multiple contributors to shortness of breath. Eliminating one factor can result in improvement, but usually does not eliminate the symptom completely.
Coronary disease is an important cause of breathlessness. It usually has chest pain as an associated symptom. However, diabetics and women may not experience chest pain.