Differential diagnosis of shortness of breath in pregnancy - McMaster Textbook of Internal Medicine

Table 15.2-2. Differential diagnosis of shortness of breath in pregnancy
Pregnancy-related shortness of breath	– Physiologic breathlessness of pregnancy – Amniotic fluid embolism – Peripartum cardiomyopathy – Preeclampsia/HELLP syndrome
Non–pregnancy-related shortness of breath	– Cardiac (ACS, pericarditis, tamponade, cardiomyopathies, arrhythmia, valvular heart disease, pulmonary arterial hypertension) – Pulmonary (pulmonary embolism, pneumonia, asthma, pneumothorax) – Other (anxiety, stress, anemia, GERD)
ACS, acute coronary syndrome; GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease; HELLP, hemolysis, elevated liver enzymes, low platelets.