Nijmegen Questionnaire for Dysfunctional Breathing

The Nijmegen Questionnaire is a 16-item self-report instrument designed to identify dysfunctional breathing patterns, particularly hyperventilation syndrome, in patients presenting with respiratory or non-respiratory symptoms. Developed by van Beveren and colleagues in the Netherlands in 1994, it provides rapid assessment of symptoms attributable to chronic hyperventilation: dizziness, chest tightness, muscle tension, paresthesias, and anxiety. The Nijmegen Questionnaire is widely used in respiratory physiology clinics, pulmonary rehabilitation programs, and psychosomatic medicine to detect dysfunctional breathing phenotypes that may masquerade as asthma, anxiety disorders, or cardiopulmonary disease.