Wheezing shows up when your breath sounds like a high-pitched whistle.
While common for some people, it can also be a sign of a medical emergency.
When to Seek Emergency Care
Wheezing can be a sign of respiratory distress.
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What Is Wheezing?
Wheezing comes up whenever air moves through narrowed airways.
Wheezing usually comes from the bronchial tubes, which are the small airways in the lungs.
However, it can also happen with a blockage in the larger airways or conditions involving the vocal cords.
Sometimes people have more than one condition that leads to wheezing.
What Does Wheezing Sound Like?
It has a fairly continuous musical sound including more than one note.
It’s important to distinguish wheezing from other lung sounds such as stridor.
Stridor is a serious symptom that often has a different pitch and is sparked by different conditions.
Both sounds can be signs of life-threatening medical emergencies.
Evaluation
The first thing your practitioner will do is to verify you are comfortable and stable.
In an emergency, medical personnel and technicians begin with “ABC.”
This stands for airway, breathing, then circulation.
The first step is to ensure you are getting adequate oxygen into your lungs.
Oxygen therapy is commonly used.If wheezing is due to an allergic reaction, injectable epinephrine is often given.
Summary
Wheezing is a high-pitched whistling sound when you breathe.
It can be resulting from different conditions involving the airways, including asthma and COPD.
Treatment will focus on opening the airways or treating any underlying conditions.
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