Shortness of breath

Most cases of shortness of breath are due to heart or lung conditions. Your heart and lungs are involved in transporting oxygen to your tissues and removing carbon dioxide, and problems with either of these processes affect your breathing.

Shortness of breath that comes on suddenly (called acute) has a limited number of causes, including:

1. Anaphylaxis
2. Asthma
3. Carbon monoxide poisoning
4. Cardiac tamponade (excess fluid around the heart)
5. COPD — a long-term lung disease that causes trouble with breathing.
6. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
7. Heart attack
8. Heart arrhythmia
9. Heart failure — a condition in which the heart doesn't pump blood as well as it should.
10. Pneumonia (and other pulmonary infections)
11. Pneumothorax — collapsed lung.
12. Pulmonary embolism
13. Sudden blood loss
14. Upper airway obstruction (blockage in the breathing passage)

In the case of shortness of breath that has lasted for weeks or longer (called chronic), the condition is most often due to:

1. Asthma
2. COPD — a long-term lung disease that causes trouble with breathing.
3. Deconditioning
4. Heart dysfunction
5. Interstitial lung disease — the blanket term for a large group of conditions that scar the lungs.
6. Obesity
7. Pleural effusion (accumulation of fluid around the lungs)

A number of other health conditions also can make it hard to get enough air. These include:

Lung problems

1. Croup (especially in young children)
2. Lung cancer
3. Pleurisy (inflammation of the membrane surrounding the lungs)
4. Pulmonary edema — excess fluid in the lungs.
5. Pulmonary fibrosis — a disease that happens when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred.
6. Pulmonary hypertension
7. Sarcoidosis
8. Tuberculosis

Heart problems

1. Cardiomyopathy (problem with the heart muscle)
2. Heart failure — a condition in which the heart doesn't pump blood as well as it should.
3. Pericarditis (inflammation of the tissue around the heart)

Other problems

1. Anemia
2. Anxiety disorders
3. Broken ribs
4. Choking: First aid
5. Epiglottitis
6. Foreign object inhaled: First aid
7. Guillain-Barre syndrome
8. Kyphoscoliosis (a chest wall deformity)
9. Myasthenia gravis (a condition causing muscle weakness)

• Definition
• When to see a doctor