Health Tip: When Breathing Is Rapid and Shallow

(HealthDay News) -- Tachypnea is the medical term for breathing that is abnormally rapid and shallow.

If you have the condition, the University of Maryland Medical Center says possible causes include:

A chronic respiratory illness, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

An infection of the lungs, such as pneumonia.

Chest pain.

A blood clot in the lung, sometimes called a pulmonary embolism.

Symptoms of rapid, shallow breathing should not be self-treated, and are "generally considered a medical emergency," the hospital warns.

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