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Dyspnea
is a common, complex symptom that encompasses many qualitatively
distinct sensations and is the consequence of a range of often
interacting physiological derangements. Our ability to study this
symptom and to design new interventions targeted to alleviate
the discomfort and improve the quality of patients' lives is dependent
on a thorough understanding of the physiological mechanisms that
underlie the sensations of breathing discomfort, the language
used by patients to describe their sensations, the associated
symptoms that may confound our interpretation of these sensations,
and the availability of research tools to design and analyze appropriate
investigations. With this knowledge, we may all be able to breathe
a little easier in the years to come.
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