Stridor Versus Wheezing: When Noisy Breathing Is Something More

Featured Experts:

  • Jonathan Walsh, M.D.

Many parents spend the first few years of their kid'south life closely monitoring their breathing—listening for new or unusual sounds. These sounds may include wheezing, congestion or rough breathing that can be difficult to decode.

"It's important for parents to realize that breathing noises mean different things and these sounds sometimes point to a serious wellness issue," says Jonathan Walsh, M.D., an good in pediatric treat ears, olfactory organ and throat.

Decoding Noisy Breathing

Changes in breathing sounds can be scary for parents, however noisy breathing is remarkably mutual amongst infants and toddlers.

"Children'due south airways are softer and narrower than adults', so they're more prone to make loud animate noises," Walsh says. "But not all noisy breathing is as apropos—and some of these sounds will resolve on their own over time."

Here'southward how the three singled-out noises break down:

  1. Wheezing

    Wheezing stems from the child'south lungs (the lower airway). "To tell if the sound you're hearing is a wheeze or not, y'all accept to listen to the lungs," Walsh says. "In general, a wheeze is a higher-pitched sound that happens on the exhale, though information technology can occasionally happen on the inhale."

    The most common causes of wheezing are asthma, and reactive airway disease, a condition that can occur in children, and is often triggered by a viral infection. "Wheezing can as well happen when a child has a virus or if they choke on something that makes its way to the lungs," explains Walsh.

  2. Stridor

    Less musical sounding than a wheeze, stridor is a high-pitched, turbulent sound that can happen when a child inhales or exhales. Stridor usually indicates an obstacle or narrowing in the upper airway, outside of the chest cavity. "Stridor in infants, particularly without whatsoever associated illness, should always be checked out by a physician," Walsh says.

    A number of conditions can cake or narrow the upper airway and cause stridor. The most common is a viral infection called croup. Other causes include swallowing a small object that gets lodged in the airway, upper respiratory infection, inflammation, cysts or masses, vocal cord bug, scarring, and conditions such as laryngomalacia (where soft tissues partially obstruct the airway) and certain built eye conditions.

  3. Stertor

    While stertor is less well-known than either wheezing or stridor, it'south also a lot more than common. "The sound that a congested child makes is stertor," Walsh says. "It's near similar a snoring sound that indicates congestion in the mouth and nose."

    Stertor can happen with a common cold. It tin can besides indicate adenoid enlargement from allergies or flu. In rare cases, stertor may upshot from a structural abnormality in the back of the nasal cavity.

Jonathan Walsh with patient

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When to See a Specialist for Noisy Babyhood Breathing

Figuring out the cause of noisy breathing isn't articulate-cut. Parents and master care providers may not be able to differentiate betwixt wheezing, stridor and stertor in an baby or immature child past examination alone. Diagnosing the problem often requires a thorough evaluation of the lungs and airway.

"Most of the time, noisy animate is not dangerous and volition resolve without treatment, Walsh says. "If noisy animate doesn't repose downwards later on an disease has passed, or if it goes away and comes dorsum, the child should exist evaluated past a specialist."

The specialist may perform a diverseness of tests to make up one's mind the source of noisy breathing. A few of the most mutual:

  • Laryngoscopy, an in-office procedure to examine the throat and upper airway
  • Bronchoscopy, a procedure that requires anesthesia only provides a clearer view of the entire airway
  • Chest Ten-ray, to check for signs of blockage
  • Swallow report, to make up one's mind whether the airway is compressed or operation unremarkably

Medical Treatments for Children with Noisy Breathing

Treatment for noisy animate depends on the underlying cause. A child who is sick and wheezing, for example, may be less concerning than a child who has wheezing that stems from both lungs without whatever noticeable illness.

Successful treatment oftentimes hinges on having a squad of professionals, including an ear, olfactory organ, and throat specialist; a pulmonologist; a gastroenterologist; and sometimes a cardiologist. Doctors may accept a "expect-and-run into arroyo," while providing children with supportive care such as a nebulizer (a device that turns liquid medicine into a mist that tin can be inhaled) to help them breathe easier. Other cases telephone call for immediate surgery.

"If your child is struggling to exhale or showing signs of labored breathing, such as bluish hue on the lips, peel or trunk or the chest collapsing inward, telephone call 9-1-1 or have your child to the nearest emergency room," notes Walsh.

Questions your doc will ask that will inform your child's handling:

  • When did you outset notice the condition?
  • Has your child been ill recently?
  • Did your child put a strange object in his mouth?
  • Does your child have trouble swallowing?
  • Is your kid struggling to breathe?
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