I'm writing about my Dad. He is 84. About 18 months ago, he was hospitalized with what the doctor called severe bronchitis. I actually think that he had pneumonia. Since then, he has had constant shortness of breath. In addition, he had another "attack" of wheezing about 12 months ago. That doctor said he had asthma. He has never had asthma in his life and as I said, he is 84. But he has this chronic shortness of breath. If he sits still, he is OK, but I still hear him wheezing sometimes. When he walks - even from room to room in the house, he get breathless. He has had a full pulmonary work up and cardiac catheterization with no definitive answers. He uses Advair daily. His O2 levels always run around 98%. Any ideas? Please help.

Keep making those Doctors do more tests...sounds like heart to me!

Hi Madison - Does your dad smoke? I assume you would have said so if he did but wanted to ask.

Honestly, it sounds like asthma to me, also. I would have thought heart like the other poster but you say they've checked that. You can get asthma at any age, even 84. It's because he wheezes that makes me think this. I have a cousin who is almost 60 and was hospitalized last year with chronic bronchitis, beginnings of emphysema, and asthma. The asthma was a new diagnosis for her, but having all three things going on in her lungs made it very difficult for her to breathe. She too, would become out of breath just walking around. Her doctor has her on Advair and it took awhile for it to work but she's doing much better now. Advair is a pretty good asthma medicine, but maybe he needs a higher dose. It comes in 3 different strengths - 500, 250 and 100. If your dad is on one of the lower ones, he may need to go up one for awhile. Also, he may not be inhaling it all the way into his lungs, which then would make it hard for it to work. You or his doctor may want to watch him use it to be sure he's inhaling it correctly.

Kellie, My Dad smoked years ago but quit. It's been 35 years since he smoked. Madison

If it was heart he would have problems when lying down. I have CHF and that is a common symptom. So my guess is asthma as well. Has he had a Pulmonary Function Test? That would tell the tale.

Hi. Advair is a corticosteroid; it can cause lung infections and it has withdrawal symptoms when you try to stop using it. From another topic section in the HealthBoard I've copy/pasted the side effects that can come from Advair.

More common side effects may include:
Bronchitis, cough, diarrhea, difficulty speaking, fungal infection of the mouth, gastrointestinal discomfort and pain, headaches, hoarseness, muscle pain, nausea, sinus problems, sore throat, upper respiratory infection or inflammation, vomiting


Less common side effects may include:
Allergic reactions, appendicitis, blood in nasal mucus, bone problems, burns, constipation, dental discomfort and pain, dry and scaly skin, ear problems, eye infection, fractures, heart palpitations, hives, joint pain, lower respiratory infections, mouth ulcers or rash, mouth discomfort or pain, muscle injuries, muscle stiffness, nasal irritation, nerve problems, red eyes, runny nose, pneumonia, skin infections, sleep disorders, sleepiness, sneezing, sweating, tremors


These side effects say Advair can cause fungal infections of the mouth and don't mention fungal lung infection--I do think the corticosteroids CAN cause a fungus in the lungs and if it does, it can be extremely hard to treat. Most people have "natural" fungus in their bodies; the "good bacteria" we also have usually keeps the fungus from growing and causing problems. But when you use antibiotics to treat a bacterial infection they kill both the bad bacteria AND the good bacteria, allowing fungus to grow and create stubborn infections. I would wonder if the Advair is your Dad's problem, and a possible fungal infection.

Just an addendum; by 'less common' they usually mean less than .5% of the people in the test group.

I've never ever heard of somebody getting a fungal infection of the lungs from Advair, and if it's suspected, then a sputum culture is in order.