What is the medical term for difficulty breathing?

The medical term for difficulty breathing is dyspnea. This term specifically refers to the sensation of breathlessness or shortness of breath, which can result from various conditions affecting the lungs, heart, or other systems involved in respiration. Dyspnea is a subjective experience that may lead individuals to feel they are not getting enough air, and it can be acute or chronic depending on the underlying cause.

In contrast, apnea refers to a temporary cessation of breathing, which is a different process altogether. Hypoxia describes a condition where there is a deficiency of oxygen in the tissues, which may lead to feelings of breathlessness but is not synonymous with difficulty breathing itself. Bradypnea indicates an abnormally slow respiratory rate, which does not necessarily imply difficulty breathing; rather, it pertains to the rate of respiration. Thus, dyspnea is the most accurate term for characterizing the experience of difficulty in breathing.