![]() ![]() If wheezing is severe or occurs with severe shortness of breath, you should go directly to the nearest emergency room. Wheezing associated with swelling of the face, tongue or lips.Wheezing that keeps occurring without explanation.Wheezing caused by allergic reaction, including insect bite or sting, food, or medication.Wheezing accompanied by shortness of breath, chest pain, bluish discoloration of the lips or nails, altered mental status or confusion.When do I call the doctor? You should call your doctor right away if you have: Wheezing is usually louder than the underlying breath sounds and can sometimes be heard without a stethoscope. For example, wheezing heard all over the chest is more likely due to underlying diffuse lung condition, whereas localized wheezing suggests a more localized process, such as tumor or foreign body obstructing an airway. The location of wheezing may also aid in the diagnosis. On the other hand, inspiratory wheezing often signifies permanent airway stiffness (such as from stenosis, scar tissue, or tumor) or foreign bodies. This usually results from significant reduction of expiratory flow rates (how well you can quickly exhale). What are the characteristics of wheezing? Wheezing is usually most noticeable during exhalation. Heart failure/pulmonary edema (“cardiac asthma”).Even healthy people can produce wheezing if exhaling hard enough. The most common cause is asthma, but “not all asthma patients wheeze and not everyone who wheezes has asthma.” Any condition that causes a narrowing of the airway caliber, including bronchospasm, edema, tumor, secretion, foreign body, external compression, or dynamic compression, can produce wheezing. What causes wheezing? The potential causes for wheezing are many. Wheezing is a continuous (defined as longer than 250 msec), coarse, whistling or “accordion-like” sound. What is wheezing? Wheezing is a high-pitched, musical noise that occurs during breathing, when air flows through bronchial (breathing) tubes that are narrowed or partially obstructed. ![]()
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