Breathing difficulties can be described in several different ways. You may be short of breath, unable to take a deep breath, gasping for air or feel like you are not getting enough air.
Difficulty breathing - first aid; Dyspnea - first aid; Shortness of breath - first aid
Considerations:
If you are having difficulty breathing, it is almost always a medical emergency (other than feeling slightly winded from normal activity like exercise or climbing a hill).
Causes:
Difficulty breathing has many potential causes. Some of the most common are:
Review Date: 4/8/2005
Reviewed By: William D. Whetstone M.D., Division of Emergency Medicine, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.
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