Dyspnea (
Latin dyspnoea,
Greek dyspnoia from
dyspnoos - short of breath) is percieved difficulty breathing or pain on breathing. It is a common symptom of a great many disorders, including
emphysema,
COPD, broken
ribs,
lung cancer,
malignant hypertension, and so forth. Dyspnea may be due, as can be seen, to disorders within the
lungs themselves, to disorders in the ribcage, to disorders in adjacent organs, to
nervous system disorders, or to
drugs and
toxins.
Other terms for breathing malfunctions include tachypnea, which is too-rapid breathing, and bradypnea, which is too-slow breathing.
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