Firstly, yes, this is a tongue-twister, I had to have a few goes before I pronounced it properly, not to mention that it sounds like a scary zombie disease! So, what does it actually mean? To break it down quite simply- Paroxymal is means a sudden outburst or attack; nocturnal means night and dyspnea is shortness of breath. Together, Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnea (PND) is the sense of oxygen deficiency during sleep, the oxygen deprivation causes a person to cough and wheeze, which significantly increases diastolic pressure.
What is Paroxysmal Nocturnal Dyspnea?
