Wheezing is a whistling noise made during breathing. It occurs when the small airways, or bronchial tubes, that lead to your lungs swell or contract (spasm) and become narrow. This narrowing is called bronchoconstriction. When your airways constrict, it is hard for air to pass through and this makes it hard for you to breathe.
Wheezing and bronchoconstriction can be caused by many problems, including:
Treatment for your wheezing depends on what is causing the problem. Your wheezing may get better without treatment. But you may need to pay attention to things that cause your wheezing and avoid them. Or you may need medicine to help treat the wheezing and to reduce the swelling or to relieve spasms in your lungs.
Wheezing is a whistling noise of varying pitch and loudness that occurs when the small airways of the lungs become narrower. This can happen because of inflammation or a buildup of mucus and dead cells in the airway. As these small air passages become narrower, wheezing may be heard when the person breathes out. As the passages continue to narrow, wheezing may be heard when the person breathes both in and out.
When a person has severe difficulty breathing, wheezing may no longer be heard because very little air is moving through the narrowed airways.
A doctor may order a chest X-ray or breathing test (spirometry) to determine the cause of a person's wheezing. Some causes of wheezing include bronchitis, allergies, or asthma. Treatment depends on the cause of the wheezing and may include medicines, an inhaler, or a machine to help a person breathe.
Wheezing is a whistling noise that occurs when the bronchial tubes, which carry air to the lungs, narrow because of inflammation or mucus buildup. Wheezing is often present in asthma.
During an asthma attack, the bronchial tubes become smaller. At first, the person may wheeze when breathing out. As the attack becomes worse, the person may also wheeze when breathing in. During a severe asthma episode, wheezing may go away because little air is moving through the narrowed bronchial tubes.
Wheezing can be a sign of asthma in children, but it does not always mean that a child has asthma. Children younger than 5 often develop wheezing during a respiratory infection. Children with a family history of allergies seem to be more likely than other children to have one or more episodes of wheezing with colds. Children with certain viral infections, such as respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), rhinovirus (which causes the common cold), and influenza virus, also are likely to develop wheezing.
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