Dyspnea vs. Orthopnea

Dyspneanoun

(pathology) Difficult or labored respiration; shortness of breath.

Dyspneanoun

difficult or labored respiration

Orthopneanoun

form of dyspnea in which the person can breathe comfortably only when standing or sitting erect; associated with asthma and emphysema and angina pectoris

Orthopnea

Orthopnea or orthopnoea is shortness of breath (dyspnea) that occurs when lying flat, causing the person to have to sleep propped up in bed or sitting in a chair. It is commonly seen as a late manifestation of heart failure, resulting from fluid redistribution into the central circulation, causing an increase in pulmonary capillary pressure.