Bradypnea
title: "Bradypnea" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["breathing-abnormalities"] topic_path: "general/breathing-abnormalities" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bradypnea" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0
::data[format=table title="Infobox medical condition (new)"]
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| name | Bradypnea |
| synonyms | Bradypnoea |
| pronounce | |
| field | Pulmonology |
| :: |
::callout[type=note] Compare hypopnea and hypoventilation. ::
| name = Bradypnea
| synonyms = Bradypnoea
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| field = Pulmonology
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Bradypnea is abnormally slow breathing. It is the opposite of tachypnea.
Signs and symptoms
Bradypnea may occur in isolation with no other symptoms or, depending on the underlying cause, be accompanied by other symptoms of breathing problems or signs of disease recognized by a medical professional.
Causes
Abnormally slow or shallow breathing may be caused by overdoses of drugs including opioids, benzodiazepines, and alcohol, as well as neuromuscular disorders such as Duchenne muscular dystrophy and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Bradypnea may also be seen in patients with respiratory distress who are tiring from respiratory effort.
Treatment
Treatment depends on the underlying medical issue causing bradypnea. Supportive care may be given, such as supplemental oxygen . If an opioid overdose is suspected, naloxone is given and may rapidly improve the rate of breathing.
Etymology
The word bradypnea uses combining forms of brady- + -pnea, from (Greek from bradys, slow + pnoia, breath).
References
References
::callout[type=info title="Wikipedia Source"] This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page. ::