(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.