Dyspnea

Stimuli	Receptors	Locations	Clinical Conditions	Quality of Dyspnea
Chemoreceptors
Changes in CSF pH	Central Chemoreceptors	Brain Stem (Medulla)	c	Air Hunger
Changes in pO₂, pCO₂	Peripheral Chemoreceptors	Carotid and Aortic bodies	CHF	Air Hunger
Mechanoreceptors
Stretch Lung Inflation	Pulmonary Stretch Receptors	Pulmonary Alveoli	__	Chest Tightness Suffocation
Tactile Stimulation Air Flow Rate Bronchial Muscle tone	Pulmonary Irritant Receptors	Bronchial Epithelium	Asthma
Pulmonary Interstitial & Capillary Pressure	C Fibers (J Æ Juxta capillary Receptors)	Interstitium Capillaries	CHF, COPD, Pulmonary Vascular Diseases e.g., PE
Mechanical (movement, length & tension change)	Muscle Spindles	Intercostal Muscles	COPD, Asthma, ILD Neuromuscular diseases	Increased Sense of Effort
Mechanical (force of contraction)	Tendon Organs	Diaphragm	__
Mechanical (chest wall movement & timing)	Proprioceptors	Joints and Tendons	__

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Home | Project Website | ©End of Life Curriculum Project, a joint project of the US Veterans Administration and SUMMIT, Stanford University Medical School. Funded by a grant to the Veterans Administration Nationwide Palliative Care Network by the National Library of Medicine. VJ Periyakoil, Principal Investigator.