Q. I had shortness of breath and chest pain after breathing in steam. Am I at risk?

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and medically reviewed by iCliniq medical review team.

Published on Aug 13, 2018 and last reviewed on: Dec 27, 2018

Patient's Query

Hello doctor,

I am a 26 year old male weighing in 185 and 5'9". I do not take any medications. I am worried if I am at risk of any complications after having breathed in some steam/air at about 350 F. I was covering a pot roast I had just taken out of the oven when I accidentally took a breath of its steam when I was directly overhead. After it happened, moments later I had shortness of breath and had pain on the left side of my chest. This happened six hours ago. Since then, I have slept and my breathing is normal. There is only a dull lingering pain on the left side of my chest now. I have no cough, my breathing remains steady when I lie down. I do not get dizzy either.

Answer

Dr. Ritesh Kumar Singh

General Medicine Internal Medicine

Hi,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

Based on the history, at times, though not very common, steam/air inhalation can cause inflammation of the airway leading to respiratory symptoms and even pulmonary edema.

So, keep an eye on the following symptoms :

If you develop hoarseness of voice, wheezing, stridor, breathlessness, or chest pain, immediately contact a doctor.

For more information consult a general medicine physician online --> https://www.icliniq.com/ask-a-doctor-online/general-medicine-physician