Why do we wheeze

The tests done can vary depending on the suspected cause which is often based on your other symptoms and the doctor's examination. Tests that are commonly done include a chest X-ray and lung function tests. The treatment depends on the cause. See individual leaflets on the various diseases that can cause wheezing.

Eur Respir J. Epub Feb Disclaimer: This article is for information only and should not be used for the diagnosis or treatment of medical conditions. Egton Medical Information Systems Limited has used all reasonable care in compiling the information but make no warranty as to its accuracy. Consult a doctor or other health care professional for diagnosis and treatment of medical conditions.

For details see our conditions. In this article What is wheezing? What should I do if I am wheezing? Understanding the airways and the lungs What are the causes of wheezing? What assessment and tests may be done? What is the treatment for wheeze? Wheeze In this article What is wheezing? What is wheezing? Narrowed airways can be due to: Bronchospasm.

This means that the muscle within the lining of the airways contracts. This has an effect of narrowing constricting the airways. Swelling of the lining of the airways. A lot of secretions mucus, etc in the airways. An inhaled object. For example, if you inhale a peanut which is not uncommon in children.

An abnormal growth in the airway, such as a tumour cancer. Are you eligible for a free NHS flu vaccination? Find out more. Our picks for Wheeze. What should you do if your child is wheezing?

Asthma can be well controlled with proper care. In the case of childhood asthma, children tend to "grow out of it. COPD is a progressive inflammatory disease in which the lungs become increasingly inflamed. This leads to symptoms such as a persistent cough , excessive phlegm , tightness in the chest, shortness of breath, and wheezing.

These symptoms may not be noticeable in the early stages of COPD, but they become more severe as the disease progresses. There is no cure for the irreversible damage to the lungs.

While COPD symptoms can be managed, the disease will continue to progress and become more debilitating with time. Also called paradoxical vocal fold motion, vocal cord dysfunction VCD is characterized by wheezing caused by an abnormal closure of the vocal cords. Other symptoms may include shortness of breath and chest or neck tightness. VCD's symptoms are so similar to asthma that it is sometimes called vocal cord asthma. While the causes of VCD are still not completely clear, it seems to be related to postnasal drip , complications of asthma, and laryngopharyngeal reflux in which stomach acid travels up the esophagus and irritates the larynx.

VCD can be treated with speech therapy or breathing exercises, or by treating underlying causes such as reflux, allowing wheezing and other symptoms to go away. Various types of infections, allergic reactions, and other health concerns can all cause pulmonary obstructions that result in wheezing. Among these less common causes of wheezing are:.

Nasal congestion can result in a sound that mimics a wheeze but isn't. And some children's diseases such as croup result in stridor , which some confuse with wheezing. Stridor is distinct and often described as the sound a seal makes.

Wheezing is related to a variety of complicated disorders. Some of these have genetic components, and you may be at greater risk if you have a chromosomal mutation. In this inherited condition, the body doesn't make enough of the protein AAT, which normally would stop a powerful enzyme that destroys dead cells in the lungs. Without enough AAT, the enzyme starts destroying healthy cells, and the small air sacs in the lungs alveoli are damaged. The earliest symptoms of AAT deficiency, which usually manifests between ages 20 and 50, include shortness of breath, reduced ability to exercise, and wheezing.

Cystic fibrosis is one of the more common genetic diseases. Frequency varies by ethnic background, affecting one in 2, to 3, white newborns, but only one in 17, African Americans and one in 31, Asian Americans. CF is an autosomal recessive disorder , meaning that you need to inherit the CFTR mutation from both your mother and father to have the disease. If you only inherit one defective gene, you won't have CF but will instead be a carrier of the mutated gene, meaning you can pass it on to offspring.

A very rare, non-inherited birth defect, tracheoesophageal fistula is a structural problem that causes wheezing. Babies with this condition are born with abnormal connections between the esophagus the tube that leads from the throat to the stomach and the trachea the tube that leads from the throat to the windpipe and lungs.

Wheezing can also be due to a buildup of fluid in the lungs, which results from congestive heart failure CHF. With CHF, the heart cannot adequately pump blood through the body. Overlap syndromes of sleep and breathing disorders. In: Principles and Practice of Sleep Medicine.

Louis, Mo. Merck Manual Professional Version. Weiner DL. Acute respiratory distress in children: Emergency evaluation and initial stabilization.

Bites and stings. American College of Emergency Physicians. March 24, VanGarsse A, et al. Pediatric asthma for the primary care practitioner. Primary Care: Clinics in Office Practice. Rochester, Minn. Pappas DE. The common cold in children: Management and prevention. Wilkinson JM expert opinion. My baby is wheezing. The doctor wants her to get breathing treatments through a nebulizer. I'm worried! Could she have asthma? Probably not. Many babies and young children wheeze due to colds or viruses and don't develop asthma when they're older.