Shortness of Breath
Free Symptom Checker
with Physician-supervised AI
Reviewed By:
Phillip Aguila, MD, MBA (Pulmonology, Critical Care)
Dr. Aguila graduated from West Virginia University School of Medicine. He has trained in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and Internal Medicine at Medical College of Pennsylvania/Hahnemann University at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. He has served as Assistant Professor since 2010.
Eisaku Kamakura, MD (Pulmonology)
Dr. Kamakura graduated from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, School of Dentistry, and the Niigata University School of Medicine. He trained at Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital and held positions in the Respiratory Medicine departments at Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Ome City General Hospital, and Musashino Red Cross Hospital. In 2021, he became the specially appointed assistant professor at the Department of General Medicine, Niigata University School of Medicine.
Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)
Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.
Content updated on Apr 4, 2024
Following the Medical Content Editorial Policy
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Try one of these related symptoms.
Shortness of breath
Shortness of breath when lying down
Breathing out is easy but breathing in is difficult
Wake up in the middle of the night with shortness of breath
Feeling that I am suffocating and will die from the breathlessness
Shortness of breath in the morning
Short of breath because of rapid breathing
Shallow breathing
Breathing in is easy and breathing out is difficult
Abnormal breathing and difficulty taking in deep breths
Accelerated breathing
Moving shoulders up and down to breathe
How Ubie Can Help You
With a free 3-min Shortness of Breath quiz, powered by Ubie's AI and doctors, find possible causes of your symptoms.
This questionnaire is customized to your situation and symptoms, including the following personal information:
Biological Sex - helps us provide relevant suggestions for male vs. female conditions.
Age - adjusts our guidance based on any age-related health factors.
History - considers past illnesses, surgeries, family history, and lifestyle choices.
Your symptoms
Our AI
Your report
Your personal report will tell you
✔ When to see a doctor
✔︎ What causes your symptoms
✔︎ Treatment information etc.
People with similar symptoms also use Ubie's symptom checker to find possible causes
- Have difficulty breathing
- Breathing abnormally with skin getting "sucked in" above the collarbone and between the ribs
- Breathing is difficult when lying down, breathing is easy when raising the upper body
- Allergic reaction after eating/touching something I have a known allergy to
- Having difficulty breathing, using shoulders and muscles to breathe
- Breathlessness happens or gets worse when the air is cold
- Air feels trapped in my lungs and I can't breathe it out
- Struggling to breathe with mouth open and jaw moving
- Difficulty breathing because of hyperventilation
- Breathing is getting more and more shallow
- Difficulty breathing while sleeping
- Breathing is more rapid than normal
- Out of breath/breathless
- Allergy got triggered because I ate something that I am allergic to
- Area between the ribs and in the neck sink in when trying to inhale
See full list
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizAbout the Symptom
Also known as shortness of breath or dyspnea, it is often described as struggling to breathe, unable to take a deep breath, or the feeling of suffocation.
When to See a Doctor
Seek professional care if you experience any of the following symptoms
- Feel breathless
Possible Causes
Generally, Shortness of breath can be related to:
- Tracheal Stenosis
Tracheal stenosis is an abnormal narrowing of the trachea, also known as the windpipe, that restricts normal breathing.
- Tracheomalacia
Tracheomalacia literally translates to floppy airway (trachea) and happens when the tissues of the airway instead of being rigid and stiff, are weak and floppy, causing breathing difficulties. This can be due to intrinsic issues with tissues (cartilage) of the windpipe (trachea) itself or due to something in the chest pushing on the airway such as a blood vessel. As there are highly variable severities and types of tracheomalacia, the symptoms vary greatly as well.
- Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Lung damage from long-term smoking or smoke exposure. Airways become narrow, and lung tissue gets damaged, developing bubbles (blebs). COPD patients are also prone to lung infections.
- Viral Bronchiolitis
Related Serious Diseases
Sometimes, Shortness of breath may be related to these serious diseases:
- Tension Pneumothorax
A pneumothorax is the leakage of air from the lungs into the space around the lungs and heart. In a tension pneumothorax, this pressure builds up and can cause life-threatening blood flow problems in the heart and lungs. Risk factors include smoking, emphysema, and genetic diseases.
- Pneumocystis Pneumonia
- Mediastinal Emphysema
- Peritonsillar Abscess / Deep Neck Abscess
- Bronchial Asthma
- Acute Myocarditis
Doctor's Diagnostic Questions
Your doctor may ask these questions to check for this symptom:
- Are you having difficulty breathing?
- How long have you felt breathless this time?
- How quickly did you start feeling breathless?
- Have you felt breathless before?
- How long do your episodes of breathlessness typically last?
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizFAQs
Q.
Is It Common to Experience Shortness of Breath Due to COVID-19?
A.
Yes, it is common to experience shortness of breath due to COVID-19, both during the acute phase of the infection and as a lingering symptom in the post-COVID period. Many individuals report breathlessness as a significant and distressing symptom.
References:
Zheng B, Daines L, Han Q, Hurst JR, Pfeffer P, Shankar-Hari M, Elneima O, Walker S, Brown JS, Siddiqui S, Quint JK, Brightling CE, Evans RA, Wain LV, Heaney LG, Sheikh A. Prevalence, risk factors and treatments for post-COVID-19 breathlessness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Eur Respir Rev. 2022 Nov 2;31(166):220071. doi: 10.1183/16000617.0071-2022. PMID: 36323418; PMCID: PMC9724798.
Hentsch L, Cocetta S, Allali G, Santana I, Eason R, Adam E, Janssens JP. Breathlessness and COVID-19: A Call for Research. Respiration. 2021;100(10):1016-1026. doi: 10.1159/000517400. Epub 2021 Jul 30. PMID: 34333497; PMCID: PMC8450822.
Find Similar Symptoms
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Reviewed By:
Phillip Aguila, MD, MBA (Pulmonology, Critical Care)
Dr. Aguila graduated from West Virginia University School of Medicine. He has trained in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine at The University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill and Internal Medicine at Medical College of Pennsylvania/Hahnemann University at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. He has served as Assistant Professor since 2010.
Eisaku Kamakura, MD (Pulmonology)
Dr. Kamakura graduated from the Tokyo Medical and Dental University, School of Dentistry, and the Niigata University School of Medicine. He trained at Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital and held positions in the Respiratory Medicine departments at Yokosuka Kyosai Hospital, Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Ome City General Hospital, and Musashino Red Cross Hospital. In 2021, he became the specially appointed assistant professor at the Department of General Medicine, Niigata University School of Medicine.
Yoshinori Abe, MD (Internal Medicine)
Dr. Abe graduated from The University of Tokyo School of Medicine in 2015. He completed his residency at the Tokyo Metropolitan Health and Longevity Medical Center. He co-founded Ubie, Inc. in May 2017, where he currently serves as CEO & product owner at Ubie. Since December 2019, he has been a member of the Special Committee for Activation of Research in Emergency AI of the Japanese Association for Acute Medicine. | | Dr. Abe has been elected in the 2020 Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia Healthcare & Science category.
What People Say about Ubie?
Male, 30s
I got more answers in one minute through your site than I did in three hours with Google.
(Sep 29, 2024)
Male, 20s
My experience was great. I was worried, but the symptom checker helped me narrow down what it might be. I feel a little relieved compared to when I first started, and it gives me a starting point for what my symptoms could mean.
(Sep 27, 2024)
Male, 50s
The questions asked and possible causes seemed spot on, putting me at ease for a next-step solution.
(Sep 26, 2024)
Female, 40s
I was actually very impressed with the results it provided because, although I didn’t mention it during the questionnaire because I thought it was unrelated, it suggested I may have something I’ve actually been diagnosed with in the past.
(Sep 25, 2024)
Just 3 minutes.
Developed by doctors.
Try Free Symptom QuizUbie is supervised by 50+ medical experts worldwide
Our symptom checker AI is continuously refined with input from experienced physicians, empowering them to make more accurate diagnoses.
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Which is the best Symptom Checker?
Ubie’s symptom checker demonstrated a Top-10 hit accuracy of 71.6%, surpassing the performance of several leading symptom checkers in the market, which averaged around 60% accuracy in similar assessments.
Link to full study:
https://www.medrxiv.org/content/10.1101/2024.08.29.24312810v1