[Acute dyspnoea].

Asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, interstitial lung diseases and myocardial dysfunction are the leading diagnoses of patients with dyspnoea. Acute dyspnoea appears suddenly or within a few hours and is caused by a relatively limited number of conditions some of which can be life-threatening. Therefore, it is of utmost importance to identify the cause of dyspnoea immediately. Once found, the disorder is treated according to the guidelines for the underlying disease.