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Wheezing is a whistling, musical sound during breathing resulting from partially obstructed airways.
Wheezing results from an obstruction somewhere in the airways. It may be caused by widespread narrowing of the airways (as in asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and some severe allergic reactions), by a local narrowing (as with a tumor), or by a foreign object lodged in an airway. The most common cause of recurrent wheezing is asthma, although many people who have never had asthma wheeze at some time in their lives. Infections such as pneumonia or bronchitis and, in infants, bronchiolitis can sometimes cause wheezing.
A doctor usually is able to detect wheezing by listening with a stethoscope as the person breathes. Loud wheezing can be heard easily, sometimes even without a stethoscope. To hear mild wheezing, the doctor may need to listen with a stethoscope while the person exhales forcefully. A persistent wheeze that occurs in one location in a smoker may be due to lung cancer. If a person develops wheezing suddenly for the first time, a chest x-ray may help in diagnosis. In people with persistent or repeated episodes of wheezing, pulmonary function testing (see Diagnosis of Lung Disorders: Bronchoscopy) may be needed to help measure the extent of airway narrowing and to assess the benefits of treatment. If doctors suspect a foreign object is lodged in an airway, they can insert a flexible viewing tube (bronchoscope) into the airway to diagnose the problem and remove the object.
Wheezing is relieved with bronchodilators, such as inhaled albuterol. Corticosteroids, taken by mouth for a week or two, can often help relieve an acute episode of wheezing if it is due to asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Last full review/revision November 2006 by James H. Fisher, MD
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