呼吸困难是晚期恶性和非恶性疾病患者常见且令人痛苦的症状。这是一种主观体验，只能由患者自己描述，并且可能与生活质量的大幅下降有关，包括社会孤立和加速死亡的愿望。通常存在情感成分，例如焦虑或恐慌。客观参数不一定与主观经验相关。卫生专业人员常常低估呼吸困难的负担并且治疗不当。引入慢性呼吸困难综合征或慢性呼吸困难急性发作的概念旨在说明病情的性质，并促进识别和获得适当的治疗。呼吸困难的治疗很复杂，为了有效治疗，通常建议结合一般、非药物和药物措施。应向患有无法治愈的癌症和难治性呼吸困难的患者提供阿片类药物以缓解症状。如果伴有焦虑，可以补充苯二氮卓类药物。仅在低氧血症的情况下才需要吸氧。主要措施包括教育、自我管理技能获取和紧急情况下的预先护理计划。© 2024 Aerzteverlag medinfo AG。

Dyspnea is a common and distressing symptom in patients with advanced malignant and non-malignant diseases. It is a subjective experience that can only be described by the patients themselves and can be associated with a massive reduction in quality of life, including social isolation and wish to hasten death. Often there is an affective component such as anxiety or panic. Objective parameters do not necessarily correlate with the subjective experience. Health professionals often underestimate and inadequately treat the burden of dyspnea. The introduction of the concept of chronic breathlessness syndrome or acute-on-chronic-breathlessness aims to illustrate the nature of the condition and facilitate the identification and access to appropriate treatment. The management of dyspnea is complex, and for effective treatment, a combination of general, non-pharmacological, and pharmacological measures is usually advisable. Opioids should be offered to patients with incurable cancer and refractory dyspnea for symptom relief. They can be supplemented with benzodiazepines in cases of concomitant anxiety. The administration of oxygen is only indicated in cases of hypoxemia. Key measures include education, self-management skills acquisition and advance care planning for emergency situations.© 2024 Aerzteverlag medinfo AG.