Cost over a lifetime [edit]. Say a person lives 78 years [9] , and you take the average cost of living from BLS. Over 78 years, one spends an average of about $1.6 million dollars just to survive. Of this, one spends about $1M on housing, food, and cars ($12683 per year * 78).ost over a lifetime [edit]. Say a person lives 78 years [9] , and you take the average cost of living from BLS. Over 78 years, one spends an average of about $1.6 million dollars just to survive. Of this, one spends about $1M on housing, food, and cars ($12683 per year * 78).
In this case, shortness of breath may be the only warning sign you're having a heart attack. If you or your GP think this is the case, they'll give you aspirin and admit you to hospital straight away. Heart failure can also cause breathing difficulties.
There are a number of lung conditions that can cause breathing difficulty. All of these require immediate medical attention, some more immediate than others: 1  Asthma is an inflammation and narrowing of the airways that can cause shortness of breath, wheezing, chest tightness, and coughing. 2  Pneumonia is lung inflammation that is caused by infection.