Wheezing Health Video

Video Transcript

Dr. SUSAN MCGLADERRY: Hello, my name is Dr. Susan McGladdery. I'm the medical director from First Med Centers in Budapest, Hungary. I'd like to talk to you about the symptom of wheezing. A wheeze is a high-pitched whistling sound produced by air flowing through a narrowed bronchial tube. Wheezing occurs mostly on breathing out. It's not the rattling or gurgling sound. It has a more of a musical quality to it. A loud sound heard on inhaling is more likely to be due to stridor than to wheeze. Stridor is something a little more serious that results from turbulent airflow in the upper airway. It maybe occurring during inspiration or expiration or both. It can indicate a serious airway obstruction from serious illnesses such as epiglottitis, a foreign body lodged in the airway, or a tumor. Stridor is an important symptom to recognize because it can indicate a medical emergency. Wheezing is a little bit different. Wheezing is more common in infants and younger children because their airways are so small that any obstruction can cause breathing difficulties. It's commonly occurring due to certain viral infections. Up to 50% of all children have at least one episode of wheezing before they're three years old. Wheezing may also be heard in adolescents and adults with asthma; however, airflow limitation due to a narrowed airway doesn't always produce an audible wheeze. Instead, airflow obstruction may only result in signs and symptoms of chest tightness, maybe cough, increased effort to breathe, or decreased exercise tolerance. Wheezing of course is a classical sign of asthma, but not to all children who have wheezing will go on to develop asthma and not all children who have asthma will wheeze.