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Anyone can become short of breath. Just rush up a flight or two of stairs for the first time in a long time, and you may find yourself briefly gasping for air. But if you suddenly or

regularly feel hungry for air without that kind of obvious explanation, that’s another matter, doctors say. Most often, it means trouble with your heart, your lungs, or both, says Nitin

Budhwar, M.D., chief of geriatric medicine at the University of New Mexico. “It is not normal to feel short of breath,” he says. “People shouldn’t just accept it as part of life” or “a

normal part of aging.” Healthy lungs “don’t wear out,” so shortness of breath should always be checked out, says Brian Christman, M.D., a spokesperson for the American Lung Association and a

professor and vice chair for clinical affairs at Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine. Dyspnea, the medical term for shortness of breath, can have many causes. The likely suspects

vary, depending partly on whether the problem is chronic, meaning it’s been developing for a while, or is acute, meaning it started suddenly.  Here are some of the most common causes in each

situation. CAUSES OF CHRONIC SHORTNESS OF BREATH Someone with chronic shortness of breath might tell their doctor that they’ve noticed a gradual change — that “a year ago I could walk two

miles, and now it's 150 feet to my mailbox, and I'm short of breath when I come back,” Christman says. That’s “a real change,” he says, and should start a conversation about what

else is going on, including any new or worsening health problems.  Often, such chronic breathlessness has multiple, related causes, Budhwar says, many of which can be effectively treated.

Among the possibilities: 1. ASTHMA If you’ve had asthma your whole life, you know that shortness of breath, along with wheezing and other symptoms, can be signs of an attack. But if you’ve

never been diagnosed with asthma, don’t rule it out if you notice such symptoms coming and going, Christman says. “You can get asthma as you get older,” he says, because of changes in your

immune system or your environment. 2. CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE PULMONARY DISEASE COPD is an umbrella term for lung conditions, including emphysema, that cause swelling and irritation inside

airways, making it harder for air to flow through the lungs. Smoking is the most common cause, and asthma increases the risk. Along with shortness of breath, symptoms can include coughing,

wheezing and bringing up mucus. 3. HEART FAILURE Having this condition means your heart can’t pump enough blood because of damage that leaves it too weak or stiff. It can develop gradually

or suddenly. It can cause shortness of breath when you’re active but also when you’re lying down. You might also have symptoms like leg swelling and tiredness. Your doctor is more likely to

suspect heart failure if you have a history of heart attacks, high blood pressure, diabetes or other conditions that raise the risk, Christman says.