DIB
Medical abbreviation · Respiratory
| Stands for | Difficulty in breathing |
|---|---|
| Categories | Medical |
DIB stands for Difficulty in breathing, a respiratory abbreviation.
Charting and triage shorthand for breathlessness, used mainly in British, Irish, Indian and other Commonwealth health systems. It records the presenting complaint without implying a cause.
Example: Ambulance handover: 78F, DIB since this morning, sats 88% on air, wheeze throughout.
Usage notes
DIB is the Commonwealth counterpart of the American SOB (shortness of breath). The clinical term for the sensation of breathlessness is dyspnea (spelled dyspnoea in British English). Severity is often recorded with the Medical Research Council (MRC) dyspnea scale or by how many words the patient can speak per breath.
Related abbreviations
More respiratory abbreviations
- CPAP – Continuous positive airway pressure
- CPET – Cardiopulmonary exercise test
- CPT – Chest physiotherapy
- CSA – Central sleep apnea
- CSR – Cheyne-Stokes respiration
- CTEPH – Chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension
- DLCO – Diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide
- EBUS – Endobronchial ultrasound
- EIB – Exercise-induced bronchoconstriction
- ESS – Epworth Sleepiness Scale
- FeNO – Fractional exhaled nitric oxide
- FEV1 – Forced expiratory volume in 1 second
See all 109 respiratory abbreviations →
This entry is for general education and is not medical advice. Abbreviation use varies between institutions; always confirm in context.