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Glite Dictionary
orthopnea

orthopnea

9.9
Trouble breathing when you lie down that gets better when you sit or stand
  • noun
  • /ˌɔrˈθɒpniə/
  • Specialized
: ortopnea
  • Many people with heart failure experience orthopnea, which improves when they sit up.

Examples

  • The patient denied any syncope, pedal edema, orthopnea, or paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnea.

    Academic text (2007)

  • During the examination, the nurse noted his orthopnea and advised him to rest in an upright position.

  • The doctor explained that orthopnea can make it hard for patients to sleep lying down.

Surface Forms

orthopnea singular
orthopneas plural

Morphology

orthopnea = ortho + pnea

Formed from medical Greek combining forms 'ortho-' (straight/upright) and '-pnea' (breathing); this specialized formation is not transparently interpretable by an average B1 learner.

Etymology

Orthopnea comes from two Greek parts: ortho- meaning 'upright' or 'straight' and -pnea meaning 'breath', the same -pnea in apnea. So orthopnea literally points to breathing being easier when 'upright', which is why people with it have trouble breathing while lying down but feel better when they sit up.