What Causes Rapid Shallow Breathing?

Rapid shallow breathing can have various causes, ranging in severity from 'worrying' to 'generally fatal'. Finding the true cause means ruling out or confirming each possibility – in other words, diagnosis.

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Diagnosis is usually a complex process due to the sheer number of possible causes and related symptoms. In order to diagnose rapid shallow breathing, we could:

Research the topic
Find a doctor with the time
Use a diagnostic computer system.

The process is the same, whichever method is used.

Step 1: List all Possible Causes

We begin by identifying the disease conditions which have "rapid shallow breathing" as a symptom. Here are seven possibilities:

Pneumonia
Congestive Heart Failure
Anxiety
Asthma
Chronic Bronchitis
Pulmonary Embolism
Pulmonary Fibrosis

Step 2: Build a Symptom Checklist

We then identify all possible symptoms and risk factors of each possible cause, and check the ones that apply:

edema of the abdomen

difficult exhalation

loss of appetite

having asthma

unsound sleep

major fatigue for 3-12 months

chest pain when breathing

moderate chest pain

scrotal edema

several past abortions

mild abdominal discomfort

antianxiety drug use

... and more than 50 others

Step 3: Rule Out or Confirm each Possible Cause

A differential diagnosis of your symptoms and risk factors finds the likely cause of rapid shallow breathing:

Cause	Probability	Status
Pulmonary Fibrosis	96%	Confirm
Pneumonia	24%	Unlikely
Chronic Bronchitis	24%	Unlikely
Pulmonary Embolism	1%	Ruled out
Congestive Heart Failure	1%	Ruled out
Anxiety	0%	Ruled out
Asthma	0%	Ruled out

* This is a simple example to illustrate the process

Arriving at a Correct Diagnosis

The Analyst™ is our online diagnosis tool that learns all about you through a straightforward process of multi-level questioning, providing diagnosis at the end.

If you indicate having breathing problems, The Analyst™ will ask further questions including this one:

Do you ever breathe rapidly, taking many short/shallow breaths instead of longer, deeper breaths? At rest, an adult normally breathes in and out once every 4 to 8 seconds.

Possible responses:

→ Don't know
→ No, I breathe at a normal rate
→ Yes, I sometimes breathe rapidly while at rest
→ Yes, I often/always breathe rapidly while at rest

Based on your response to this question, which may indicate normal breathing, occasional rapid, shallow breathing or frequent rapid, shallow breathing, The Analyst™ will consider possibilities such as:

Anxiety

Asthma

Congestive Heart Failure

COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease)

Pneumonia

Pulmonary Embolism

Pulmonary Fibrosis

Concerned or curious about your health? Try The Analyst™