How to make wheezing and noises in the lungs. Causes and treatment of wheezing in the bronchi during exhalation and inhalation. Causes and classification of wheezing in the lungs

With wheezing in the lungs, almost everyone met. They can appear for a short time, they can haunt a person for a long time, usually accompanying various lung diseases.

Wheezing is any kind of additional sounds that can be identified when breathing, rubbing the pleura on the ribs, and similar situations.

What are wheezing?

Wheezing sound when breathing create obstacles if they appear in the way of air movement through the respiratory tract. This may be a narrowing of the lumen or the presence of mucus or a foreign body in it.

The number of wheezing includes a large heterogeneous group of breath sounds. Doctors distinguish them by duration, tonality, number of tones by prevalence during inhalation or exhalation, and other characteristics. A specific variant of wheezing characterizes a certain pathology.

There are, for example, rales dry, wet, crepitating, whistling, etc. Dry rales can be heard if the air stream meets a narrowing obstacle, and wet rales are created when there is fluid in the airways. The tone of wheezing depends on the diameter of the affected airways, affects the tone and viscosity of the fluid in them. If the diameter of the affected bronchus is small, the wheezing will be of a higher tone, and with an increase in the diameter, a lower, bassy noise is heard.

The wheezing that is heard on inhalation is called inspiratory, and on exhalation it is called expiratory.

Having arisen in the lungs, wheezing overcomes various tissues that have their effect on the sonority of the sound heard, that is, wheezing depends on the properties of the surrounding tissues. Dense tissue, which occurs with inflammation of the lungs or around the bronchi, gives a sonorous wheezing sound, loose and airy tissue in normal lungs, makes the formed wheeze muffled and less sonorous.

Wet rales are divided into fine, medium, coarse bubbling.

Small bubbling rales are characterized by the presence of fluid in the smallest bronchi, medium bubbling are heard when fluid accumulates in the average diameter of the bronchi, and large bubbling are formed in large bronchi.

What diseases cause wheezing in the lungs?

Pulmonary rales, unlike extrapulmonary, develop in the presence of a pathology of the bronchopulmonary system. The number of diseases in which wheezing occurs is very large.

It can be:

bronchial asthma,
pulmonary edema,
sarcoidosis,
malignant tumors
pneumonia,
bronchiectasis,
COPD
flu,
parainfluenza,
pulmonary embolism,
pulmonary tuberculosis.

That is, wheezing cannot be a full-fledged diagnostic indicator of a certain disease. Therefore, doctors additionally use percussion, listening, ultrasound diagnostics, laboratory tests and a number of other studies.

Wheezing diagnosis

Manipulation of listening to wheezing, with the subsequent determination of their signs and nature is called auscultation, it is carried out using a well-known phonendoscope, a stethoscope or a stethophonendoscope is also used. Auscultation of the patient is carried out in a standing, sitting or lying position, alternately listening to both the left and right of all segments of the chest. Breathing patterns also change, which makes it possible to determine the exact location of the source of wheezing and their origin. Listening to noises before and after coughing, when pronouncing various sounds or after taking medicines.

At the same time, the caliber of wheezing is fixed (small, medium, large bubbling), their timbre (monophonic or polyphonic), tonality (low or high, sonority (muffled or sonorous). It is also taken into account over what parts of the chest the wheezing is localized, their uniformity, quantity. The influence of changes in body position on the characteristics of wheezing, the depth of respiratory movements or coughing is also important, the inspiratory or expiratory nature of wheezing is determined.

Wet rales occur. It can be exudate, transudate effusion, mucus, blood or sputum. Basically, these wheezing are inspiratory, although there are also expiratory-inspiratory ones.

Wet fine bubbling rales occur with pathologies in the alveoli of the lung, bronchi and small bronchioles. Moist medium bubbling rales occur when there is content in the medium-sized bronchi, their sound is crackling, like the sound of torn tissue. Large bubbling rales come from the large bronchi. Here there is a bubbling, gurgling, pronounced expiratory sound, which can be heard even without a phonendoscope.

Wet rales may be accompanied by:

primary ciliary dyskinesia;
Williams-Campbell syndrome;
bronchial asthma after an attack;
tuberculosis, bronchitis, COPD, bronchiolitis, pulmonary edema, cystic fibrosis, pulmonary embolism, bronchiectasis;
pneumonia, lung atelectasis, lung abscess.

With bronchitis, bronchiolitis and bronchial asthma, both wet and dry rales are possible.

In the absence of contents in the bronchi, wheezing is dry.

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Heart failure in early childhood. Shortness of breath and wheezing in the lungs with heart defects

Let's describe course of heart failure at an early age and in older children.

Heart failure early childhood- one of the frequent and terrible complications. Often it develops against the background of intercurrent infections: pneumonia, rickets, acute respiratory disease.

Clinical picture of heart failure in young children differs from that in adults, as pointed out by Taussig (1947), Nadas, Hauk (1958). Its early symptoms are fatigue during feeding, irritability, delayed weight gain or a sharp increase in weight due to fluid retention in the body, cough and vomiting. Later, shortness of breath with retraction of the intercostal spaces and movements of the wings of the nose, cyanosis, tachycardia, enlargement of the heart and liver appear.

Heart failure develops due to a large load on the myocardium, when its reserve capacity has not yet been exhausted and hypertrophy is not developed. It proceeds according to the type of "emergency" hyperfunction of the myocardium (FZ Meyerson). When blood is dumped from left to right, the minute volume of the heart is increased. With an open ductus arteriosus, the load falls on the left heart, with an atrial septal defect - on the right, with an interventricular defect - on all parts of the heart.

With stenosis of the output parts of the heart(aortic stenosis, aortic coarctation, isolated pulmonary artery stenosis), myocardial tension increases sharply due to increased resistance to blood ejection, and therefore severe heart failure quickly develops, which can be completely eliminated only by surgical correction of heart disease.

Exception constitute Patients with tetralogy of Fallot who do not have typical congestive heart failure at an early age, which is explained by the peculiarities of hemodynamics in this defect: blood from the right ventricle, due to pulmonary artery stenosis, enters not only into the lungs, but mostly through a high ventricular septal defect into the aorta . This leads to an increase in systolic pressure and early hypertrophy of the right ventricle, which performs the same work as the left one. Since the pressure in the aorta is relatively low, this protects the heart from the development of decompensation.

Shortness of breath and tachycardia should be assessed in relation to the normal respiratory rate and heart rate for the given age. ECG changes help establish the diagnosis, but they are not characteristic of heart failure.

Exists certain correlation between shortness of breath and liver enlargement: with a respiratory rate of more than 30 per 1 min. the liver begins to increase, more than 40 in 1 min. the liver is palpated at the level of the umbilicus.

Wheezing in the lungs and swelling lower extremities in infants, as opposed to adults, are: late symptoms. Due to the fact that heart failure often develops against the background of pneumonia, the differential diagnosis of these conditions is extremely difficult. Wheezing in the lungs can be both with lung disease and with heart failure. The identification of hepatomegaly, characteristic of decompensation, helps in making a diagnosis. In infants, swelling of the jugular veins and an increase in venous pressure are rarely observed.

Graham(1967) indicates that the magnitude of the end-diastolic pressure is also of relative importance, which increases not only with heart failure, but also with severe ventricular hypertrophy.

Wheezing is the cause. Diseases accompanied by wheezing

Many people during their lives are faced with such a phenomenon as wheezing. Wheezing can occur sporadically, that is, for a short period of time, and also exist for a long time, accompanying various pathological processes in the human body. The main method for detecting wheezing is to listen to the chest organs with the help of a medical instrument - a phonendoscope. Some variants of wheezing sounds can be heard with the naked ear.

Definition of wheezing

To date, the concept of wheezing combines any form non-physiological noises. that is, additional sounds that occur during breathing, friction of the pleura against the ribs, etc. The wheezing sound of breathing is caused by obstructions in the path of air flow through the respiratory tract. Such an obstacle may be in the nature of a narrowing of the lumen or the appearance of pathological components in it (mucus, foreign body, etc.). Wheezing is a very heterogeneous group of breath sounds that differ in tone, duration, prevalence during inhalation or exhalation, number of tones, etc. Moreover, each specific variant of wheezing corresponds to a certain pathology, the features of the course of which form the uniqueness of the emerging respiratory noises.

Characteristics of wheezing

So, wheezing can be wet, dry, whistling, crepitating, etc. Dry rales develop in the presence of a narrowing obstacle to the passage of the air stream, and wet - in the presence of fluid in the airways. The tone of wheezing depends on the diameter of the affected airways and the viscosity of the fluid that is in them. So, the smaller the diameter of the affected bronchus, the higher the wheezing will be heard, and the larger the diameter, the lower and “bassier” the hoarse noise becomes.

Also, wheezing can occur on inhalation or exhalation. A wheeze heard on inspiration is called inspiratory. on exhalation, respectively expiratory .

Since wheezing passes through various tissues from the place of its formation in the lungs, the sonority of this auscultated sound depends on the individual characteristics of the surrounding tissues. If the tissue is dense (for example, in the presence of inflammation in the lungs or around the bronchi), then the wheezing sound becomes sonorous, but if the tissue is airy, loose (for example, in the normal state of the lungs), then the formed wheezing is heard as less sonorous, somewhat muffled.

Moist rales fall into three categories:

fine bubbles;
medium bubble;
large-bubbly;

At the same time, small bubbling rales develop in the presence of fluid in the smallest bronchi, medium bubbling - with the accumulation of fluid in the bronchi of medium diameter, and coarse bubbling - in large bronchi. To hear the difference between the above types of wet rales, try exhaling into a glass of water through straws of different diameters. You can, in a somewhat simplified and approximate version, independently hear the difference between fine bubbling, medium bubbling and large bubbling rales.

Pulmonary and extrapulmonary rales

Depending on the origin, all wheezing is divided into two broad categories:

pulmonary;
extrapulmonary.

Pulmonary rales occur during the development pathological process in the bronchopulmonary system, and extrapulmonary develop as a concomitant symptom of various diseases localized outside the respiratory system (for example, heart failure).

Pathologies accompanied by the presence of wheezing

The list of diseases that are accompanied by the development of wheezing is very wide and includes pathologies of various organs and systems.

Consider the main pathological processes accompanied by various types of wheezing:

As can be seen from the list above, the symptom of wheezing is not specific, that is, it cannot serve as a full-fledged diagnostic criterion for a specific disease. Due to this circumstance, for a correct and accurate diagnosis, it is necessary to take into account other existing symptoms, their combination, as well as data from objective examination methods (listening, percussion, ultrasound diagnostics, laboratory tests, etc.).

The concept of auscultation - a method of listening to wheezing

Listening to wheezing, determining their nature and exact signs is performed using a special medical manipulation called auscultation. Auscultation is performed using a phonendoscope, stethoscope or stethophonendoscope. Auscultation is performed in various positions of the patient - standing, sitting or lying down, while carefully listening to all segments of the chest on the right and left in turn. During auscultation, various breathing modes are used to determine the exact localization of wheezing and their origin, as well as listening to noises before and after coughing. against the background of pronouncing certain sounds or after taking medications.

For further diagnosis, take into account:

1. wheezing caliber (small bubbling, large bubbling);

2. wheezing tone (high, low);

3. timbre of wheezing (polyphonic, monophonic);

4. sonority (voiced, muffled);

5. prevalence (over which parts of the chest are localized);

6. homogeneity (homogeneous or heterogeneous);

7. the number of wheezing (single, multiple);

8. influence on the characteristics of wheezing changes in body position, coughing or depth of respiratory movements;

9. expiratory or inspiratory character.

Wet rales - causes of development, general characteristics

Let us consider in more detail first of all moist rales. Wheezing acquires a similar wet characteristic under the influence of the accumulation of various fluids in the airways - inflammatory exudate, non-inflammatory transudate effusion, blood, mucus or sputum. Most often, such wheezing is inspiratory, but it can also be expiratory-inspiratory.

Small bubbling moist rales accompany the pathological process in the alveoli of the lung, small bronchioles and bronchi. If a person is in a lying position, then finely bubbling moist rales may not be heard, so auscultation should be performed in a standing or sitting position to identify them.

Medium bubbling wet rales develop with the localization of pathological contents in the bronchi of medium caliber, and often have a crackling sound, similar to the sound of torn tissue.

Large bubbling rales characterize the pathological process localized in the large bronchi. At the same time, the sound is gurgling, bubbling, pronounced expiratory, very often heard even at some distance from the patient.

Diseases that occur with the presence of wet rales

Diseases that may be accompanied by the development of wet rales:

bronchiolitis;
pulmonary embolism (TELA);
cystic fibrosis;
bronchiectasis;
pneumonia (at the stage of development of the disease);
lung abscess;
lung atelectasis.

Bronchitis, bronchiolitis and bronchial asthma are characterized by the presence of both wet and dry rales. The predominance of one or the other is determined by the presence of pathological fluid in the bronchi, that is, if there is an accumulation of blood or exudate, the rales are wet, and if there is no content in the bronchi, the rales will be dry.

The combination of moist rales with other syndromes and symptoms

As is clear from the above list, wet rales accompany various diseases of the respiratory system. Associated symptoms may be different, and depend on the cause of the pathology.

It is appropriate to single out several accompanying wheezing syndromes:

hypoxic syndrome;
violation of the function of external respiration;
asthenic syndrome;
dyspnea;
cough;
hematological syndrome;
radiological syndrome.

Hypoxic syndrome combines various signs of oxygen starvation of body tissues - this is shortness of breath, pallor, frequent breathing, shallow depth of respiratory movements, disruption of the activity of all organs and systems, the formation of fingers in the form of "drumsticks", blood clotting.

Asthenic syndrome includes weakness, lack of concentration, apathy, drowsiness. lethargy, bad mood.

The function of external respiration It is estimated by a number of parameters: the volume of inhaled air, the volume of exhaled air, the vital capacity of the lungs, the volume of forced inhalation, the volume of forced expiration, and others.

Hematological syndrome includes various blood disorders, for example, an increase in ESR. the number of erythrocytes. hemoglobin and leukocytes. decrease in saturation of the erythrocyte with oxygen and others.

X-ray syndrome characterized by the development of a certain picture visible on the x-ray.

Wheezing, accompanying symptoms, and radiological changes

picture in various pathologies

Consider the combination of wheezing symptom with other signs and pathological changes that occur in diseases of the respiratory system.

Respiratory disease

Sholokhova Olga Nikolaevna

Reading time: 6 minutes

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Causes and treatment of wheezing in the bronchi during exhalation and inhalation

Wheezing is common in bronchitis. This is one of the main symptoms of a respiratory disease. They come in different types, differ in sound, intensity. Depending on the stage of the disease, the noise in the bronchi will be heard in different ways. The doctor should listen to this noise in order to determine the nature of the current disease and prescribe treatment.

Wheezing while breathing

An inspiratory murmur is often heard during auscultation. It is detected in any respiratory organ: trachea, bronchi, lungs, bronchioles. The presence of wheezing already indicates the progression of the inflammatory process in the listening area.

Wheezing as a guide from the patient to the doctor

Sounds in the airways during breathing should alert a sick person, as he is a symptom of many diseases, dangerous conditions. If it occurs, the patient should immediately consult a doctor for additional diagnostics and prescribing medications. Obvious noises are a symptom of diseases:

bronchial asthma;
instant allergy;
COPD;
inflammation of the respiratory system, tuberculosis;
heart attack, oncology, pulmonary edema and other dangerous conditions.

It is impossible to independently determine the disease without medical knowledge. Delaying a doctor's consultation leads to complications of the disease, even death.

Physiological processes with wheezing

The appearance of noise in the bronchi is unnatural. At this time, the organs of the respiratory and other systems suffer. The cells do not receive enough oxygen, the inflammatory process spreads to other organs. Distinguish between wet and dry noises.

Dry wheezing

The accumulation of viscous sputum in the bronchi leads to the appearance of membranes, the airways narrow. As a result of these changes, air cannot pass normally into the lungs. It moves unpredictably through the airways (a phenomenon called turbulence). Passing through the changed paths, the air flow provokes the appearance of vibration of the walls of the bronchi, trachea, which leads to the appearance of dry noises.

Important advice: A characteristic feature of dry rales is their presence on the exhale. If they appear on inspiration, you need to sound the alarm, as this is evidence of a developing complication.

Treatment of dry wheezing begins only after a series of diagnostic measures that determine the cause of this condition.

Wet rales

Wet noises in the respiratory organs occur when sputum and air passing through the respiratory tract “contact”. Phlegm fills most of the bronchial lumen. Air passing through the mucus creates a sound that defines wet noises. Depending on where the liquid pathological mass has accumulated, what is the diameter of the inflamed area, the volume of the cavity, wet rales are:

fine bubbling - these are noises that resemble the hiss of foaming soda in sound, they are often a sign of bronchopneumonia, bronchiolitis, pulmonary infarction;
medium bubbles - similar to the sound of tearing matter, blowing air into the liquid through a straw, they are crackling, indicate the course of bronchitis, the presence of small abscesses, pneumonia, the first stage of pulmonary edema, pneumosclerosis, lung fibrosis;
large bubbles - a sound is made resembling the bursting of bubbles on water, this indicates that the liquid secret accumulates in the airways of large diameter, wheezing in the bronchi is heard when exhaling even without listening, characterize the late stages of pulmonary edema, the absence of a cough reflex.

These are the general characteristics of noise that occurs in humans. To diagnose a specific disease, it is necessary to focus not only on listening to wheezing, but to conduct additional diagnostic studies.

Auscultation as the main method for determining wheezing

Wheezes in bronchitis, pneumonia and other broncho-pulmonary diseases are heard using the main method - auscultation. This manipulation occurs with the help of a phonendoscope, a stethophonendoscope. When listening, the patient takes different positions: standing, lying, sitting. The doctor listens to all segments of the chest in front, behind, on the right, on the left. What does the doctor pay attention to:

wheezing caliber;
their tonality (height and baseness of sound);
timbre (one sound or several);
sonority or loudness;
localization, prevalence;
homogeneity (different or homogeneous);
amount;
change in wheezing when the patient's position changes;
inspiratory or expiratory.

Features of the manifestation of wheezing in diseases

Wheezing, shortness of breath is a sure sign of pathology in the bronchi and lungs. Each disease of the respiratory system is characterized by different types and manifestations of bronchial noise.

Bronchitis

In the first few days with acute bronchitis, wheezing is dry. It is difficult for the patient to cough, the sounds during breathing resemble a whistle. Then they get wet.

During the development of obstructive bronchitis, the sound during breathing resembles sips, whistling noises.

Chronic bronchitis, in addition to the appearance of other symptoms, is characterized by the presence of moist frequent rales, they are well heard during auscultation.

Pneumonia

When coughing and changing the patient's posture, the noises during inhalation and exhalation do not disappear - a sure sign of pneumonia. You can accurately diagnose pneumonia by listening to several sections of the lungs. Wheezing only over some of them confirms the diagnosis.

Pulmonary edema

With swelling of the main organ of the respiratory system, the doctor listens to moist rales. They are localized in the lower part of both lungs. If the sensations of pain change as the person's position changes, they most likely have pulmonary edema.

Asthma

Bronchial asthma is accompanied by dry wheezing. This makes it difficult for the patient to breathe. The condition can worsen every minute, so it is important to see a doctor in time.

Pharyngitis

Malignant neoplasms

Often, with the appearance of malignant neoplasms in the lungs, the patient complains of dry and wet noises during breathing. This pathology is accompanied by more characteristic symptoms: cough, hoarseness, pain in the chest.

Breathing noise treatment

Whatever sounds accompany breathing, it is important to determine an accurate diagnosis for the treatment of the respiratory system. Treatment is prescribed, depending on the diagnosis of the patient. To remove noise in the bronchi, groups of drugs are used.

Antibacterial drugs. They are prescribed after determining a bacterial infection. This may be a secondary infection after a viral complication. Broad-spectrum antibiotics are used to eliminate breath sounds.
Corticosteroids. With low efficiency of the use of other groups, with an increase in obstruction, bronchiolitis, systemic corticosteroids are prescribed. These are hormonal drugs that quickly alleviate the patient's condition.
Expectorants. At the beginning of the development of bronchitis and some other diseases, accompanied by dry noises and coughs, expectorants are prescribed. The purpose of their appointment is to thin thick sputum, help in the removal of pathological mucus.
Bronchodilators. Bronchodilators are used to relieve spasm in bronchial obstruction. They will begin to act faster if a person uses them in the form of inhalation.

Important advice: For diseases of the respiratory system, which are accompanied by noise during inhalation and exhalation, it is better to use a nebulizer. It's convenient and efficient. With its help, all of the listed drugs are injected directly into the respiratory system in the form of small particles inhaled through a special mask.

There are also traditional medicine recipes used in the fight against wheezing. But with malignant neoplasms, and other serious diseases, they will be useless, even dangerous. Before starting the treatment of wheezing in respiratory diseases, you need to know the cause of their occurrence. Treatment of any pathology of the bronchi and lungs should be carried out under the supervision of a physician.

If the patient has a cold, it is important to determine the features of the noise:

If the wheezing is dry, air masses move through the bronchi with mucus, it can also be tissue swelling or swelling. Whistling symptoms appear if a person suffers from asthma or the main focus of inflammation is hidden in the bronchi. The timbre of the sound in bronchitis can change, the noise disappears after the patient coughs properly. Dry rales are localized only on one side if the lung is damaged or the patient suffers from tuberculosis.
Wet noises occur with a large volume of sputum, this sound is more like the seething of air, which is blown through, directing the air stream through the tube into the water. Wet rales are more often felt on inspiration. When the cough goes from dry to wet, i.e. sputum comes out, the sounds in the chest disappear. This means that the doctor needs to prescribe treatment to thin the mucus and get it out as soon as possible, otherwise stagnation may occur. Stagnation is a favorable environment for the reproduction of microbes and their spread through the respiratory tract. The consequences of a protracted inflammatory process in this case are the most serious - pneumonia, abscess.

The scheme of treatment of wheezing in the lungs

You can treat wheezing in the lungs at home, but it is better to do it in a hospital under the supervision of a doctor. If the patient complains of an increase in body temperature, impotence, weakness, malaise, in order to ease the load on weakened organs, he is connected to an artificial respiration apparatus.

The usual treatment regimen includes antibiotics, anti-inflammatory drugs, medicines that remove sputum and expand the lumen in the bronchi to normal values.

Even dense purulent mucus can be dissolved thanks to the powerful drugs Cysteine, Mukobene, Mukomist. After the sputum begins to move forward, they switch to expectorants Lazolvan, Mukaltin, ACC.

Together with these drugs, gastroenterologists recommend supporting the organs of the digestive tract of an adult patient with probiotics and enveloping agents. Common budget drugs in this group are Laktovit Forte, Linex, Yogurt, Phosphalugel, Smecta, Maalox, Almagel.

If the patient is diagnosed with pneumonia, visits to physiotherapy and massage sessions will not hurt. A professional approach to these manipulations helps to normalize blood circulation and improve the amount of mucus discharge in the patient.

Smoking during the course of therapy is strictly prohibited. The lungs are already affected, nicotine and tar can finally finish off the respiratory system. Complications after such experiments can be the most dangerous. There are cases in medical practice when smoking during pneumonia or bronchitis led to a chronic process and an allergic reaction that turned into asthma.

Adults with wheezing in the lungs when breathing are indicated to put warm compresses on the chest. Thanks to them, blood circulation increases, and softened sputum leaves faster. If a person tolerates steam inhalation well, you can add a couple of drops of mint or eucalyptus steam to the water. Make sure that the steam does not burn the larynx, but only warms. The feeling after the procedure should be envelopingly pleasant.

To increase immunity, multivitamin complexes will not interfere. Eat fresh fruit desserts and vegetable salads more often.

Chest sounds are a very important symptom for diagnosis of pathological changes in the respiratory organs.

Wheezing in the lungs when breathing in adults, they help to determine by their sound, caused by non-physiological noises residual processes after an illness, or we are talking about a chronic disease, a complication after acute respiratory infections, bronchitis, pneumonia.

The breath of a healthy person should be almost silent. Any wheezing when breathing in an adult, wheezing on exhalation, or labored breathing should cause the person to required to visit a doctor, get tested. In children, whistling and wheezing during breathing, all the more, do not occur for no reason.

Wheezing in the lungs: causes and consequences

Passing through the respiratory tract, the air usually does not encounter obstacles, saturating every cell with oxygen.

But if something appears in the bronchi or lungs that interferes with free movement, this can be felt in the breath, some manifestations of oxygen starvation, fatigue, chest pain.

The body is trying with all its might to get rid of a foreign body or substance, so wheezing is heard during breathing, often they are accompanied by a cough.

Causes of wheezing:

acute respiratory diseases; tracheitis; bronchitis; pneumonia; tuberculosis; neoplasms; pulmonary edema; bronchial asthma; obstructive processes; heart failure; bronchiectasis; pulmonary bleeding; a foreign body in the airways and edema spreading around it.

Wheezing in the bronchi during exhalation, audible through a phonendoscope, and sometimes without it, causes any obstacles in the path of the air stream.

Important: Narrowing of the lumen in the bronchi due to swelling, accumulation of mucus, the appearance of partitions, which causes noise when trying to inhale or exhale, pathologies in the lungs pose a threat to human life.

In some cases immediate medical intervention required, since bronchospasm, damage to the bronchi or bleeding in the lungs can kill a person in minutes.

And although wheezing in the lungs is considered one of the most common symptoms of a cold diseases, the doctor must identify the exact cause of the appearance of noise and find the optimal treatment for wheezing in the bronchi, which will eliminate the causes of their appearance.

Sometimes to ease the flow of mucus, sometimes relieve inflammation or spasm, but surgery may also be required.

What are wheezing

By the sound of breathing, noises in the bronchi and lungs, you can preliminarily determine what caused their appearance. Pulmonologists, therapists subdivide wheezing and whistles when breathing on:

wet and dry; permanent and occurring periodically; noise on inspiration (inspiratory) or exhalation (expiratory); high, low; whistling.

Also an important characteristic is fine-bubble, medium-bubble and coarse-bubble sounds.

The viscous secret secreted by the bronchi, mucus or blood, when air passes through them, is filled with it, and then bursts, making peculiar sounds similar to the sounds of bursting bubbles (in the sternum, according to patients, something gurgles).

The most important for physicians colds become wheezing dry and wet.

Dry rales in the lungs: air passes through the bronchi with a large accumulation of mucus, edema or neoplasm. There is such a noise, similar to a whistle, during an inflammatory process in the bronchi (bronchitis), asthma, it is heard from both sides. With bronchitis, it is characteristic of the initial stage of the disease, the timbre of the sound is constantly changing, it may disappear after the patient clears his throat. Unilateral dry rales are heard if the lung is damaged, it has a cavity (tuberculosis). Moist rales: a large accumulation of sputum, mucus causes a noise similar to the seething of air blown through a tube into the water. Usually heard on inspiration. When a productive cough appears, wheezing disappears, so the main task of doctors is to thin the accumulated sputum to facilitate its removal in order to prevent congestion, the multiplication of harmful microorganisms and their spread through the respiratory system, which causes serious complications in the form of pneumonia, abscesses in the lungs.

Audible even from a distance wet rales in the lungs indicates serious complications, probable pulmonary edema, but if sounds are heard outside the bronchial tree, this may indicate the appearance of a cavity in the lung caused by a tumor process, tuberculosis, an abscess.

Not only characteristics such as wet or dry rales, but many others, including the localization and timbre of the sound of noises, the frequency of their occurrence are important in the diagnosis of the disease.

Self-diagnosis is ineffective and often dangerous, so that all complaints, incomprehensible and unpleasant sensations should be described to specialists in order to facilitate the diagnosis, to clearly define the range of necessary studies.

How are wheezing and cough treated?

The appearance of any wheezing in the lungs means a pathological process, most often inflammation, so you must definitely undergo an examination, pass all the tests recommended by the doctor. The main thing in any case is the treatment of the underlying disease.

With dry wheezing, if they mean the onset of the disease, doctors recommend taking anti-inflammatory agents to loosen mucus. A good effect is shown by bronchodilators, which also help in case of an allergic reaction in asthma.

When dry rales change to wet, a productive cough appears, the composition of the drugs during treatment changes in order to facilitate the removal of sputum from the body for expectorants. Among them are mucolytics Lazolvan, Bromhexine, Mukaltin and others.

With a debilitating cough, drugs are prescribed that affect the cough center, and in especially severe cases - antibiotics to prevent pneumonia.

Important: Coughing and wheezing when breathing can have a variety of etiologies, especially in children, so you do not need to start baking yourself. If wheezing is heard during breathing in an adult or a child, while breathing is clearly depressed, the color of the mucous membranes, skin integuments changes, a doctor is urgently needed.

Don't start on your own taking medications even with severe wheezing when breathing and coughing with sputum discharge, so that the doctor can clearly see the picture of the disease. Blurred symptoms can cause an incorrect diagnosis, and the prescribed treatment will be ineffective.

Treatment with folk methods

Among the recipes of traditional medicine there are many dedicated to how to treat wheezing and cough in children and adults.

Lemon, ginger, honey: grind together with the peel 1 lemon, ginger root about 5 cm in size and 1.5 cm in diameter, add 0.5 tbsp. honey, let it brew for a day. Take 1 tbsp. l. daily for prevention with a tendency to colds and bronchitis, 1 tbsp. l. mixture 3 times a day for wheezing in the upper respiratory tract. This is an excellent immunostimulating and antiviral agent. Radish and honey: one of the best and most popular folk remedies when thinking about how to treat wheezing in a child, an excellent mucolytic, and also extremely easy to prepare. In a well-washed black radish, make a hole in the core, where to pour 1 tbsp. honey. The juice released at the same time tastes good, so even kids drink it with pleasure. Give 1 tsp. 2-5 times a day. You can just grate the radish, squeeze out the juice, mix with honey, this slightly reduces the effectiveness, but you can apply it right away. Hot milk: heat milk to 40 degrees, dissolve 1 tsp in it. honey, drink 3-4 times a day. With dry wheezing and sore throat, you can add 1 tsp. butter, it will anesthetize and relieve inflammation. Decoctions of herbs such as coltsfoot, chamomile, yarrow, St. John's wort, perfectly help to cope with wheezing and inflammation. Dandelion honey is effective when May flowers are covered with sugar in a jar, the resulting syrup, similar to honey, is stored in the refrigerator, take 1 tsp. 3 times a day. In general, it is recommended to drink as much as possible: hot decoctions, fruit drinks, jelly help thin sputum, saturate the body with essential vitamins.

Important: insisting radish with honey, it should be remembered that this composition is not recommended for hypertension and cardiovascular diseases, so it is better to consult a doctor before use.

Inhalation, heat, chest warming help to cope with colds in the absence of temperature.

Prevention, basic rules and methods.

After recovery, it is extremely important to protect your body from hypothermia, because a weakened immune system will not be able to adequately respond to a new threat.

Treatment cannot be interrupted, as soon as wheezing in the chest has disappeared, the course of treatment must be completed to the end in order to avoid relapses and complications.

The key to successful prevention is:

proper nutrition: the body needs vitamins and minerals so that the immune system can resist diseases; hardening - not dousing with cold water, but gradual accustoming to low temperatures, its differences; feasible physical activity, running and swimming, strengthening the lungs, increasing their volume; good rest, walks before going to bed, airing the room at night; during cold seasons, you should definitely drink a course of immunostimulants; excellent results are shown by breathing exercises: a special set of exercises that teaches you to breathe correctly, for children who find it difficult to perform them, and adults will also benefit from 1 daily exercise: inflate 3-5 balloons.

Wheezing - an integral part of the life of smokers, you should definitely give up an addiction so as not to earn chronic bronchitis or lung cancer. A healthy lifestyle, good nutrition, exercise will help strengthen the body and avoid the recurrence of the disease.

Importance has wet cleaning room, which must be carried out daily to get rid of dust and harmful microorganisms.

When to See a Doctor

Wheezing - a sign of an obvious pathology, so you should not hesitate in any case.

If wheezing appeared after a cold, against the background of a high temperature, it is worth calling a local doctor to rule out pneumonia and other life-threatening diseases. The sudden appearance of wheezing, shortness of breath, weakness, loss of orientation, dizziness - a reason to call an ambulance, we can talk about anaphylactic shock, bleeding, pulmonary or myocardial infarction. An ambulance must be called in any case if wheezing is observed in a baby of the first year of life, children under 3 years old, since the gaps in their bronchi are extremely small and any inflammatory process can result in oxygen starvation, suffocation.

Only doctors can correctly diagnose after an examination, blood test, fluoroscopy, so the sooner you turn to them, the more favorable the prognosis for a complete cure.

Which doctor to contact

In any clinic clinics have specialists dealing with diseases of the respiratory system.

The baby needs to be shown to the pediatrician, who will decide who to refer the baby to: an allergist, pulmonologist, phthisiatrician or cardiologist.

Adults need to see a therapist who will make a diagnosis and, if necessary, give a referral to a pulmonologist, allergist, phthisiatrician, oncologist, and other specialists.

You can not pull or rush to conclusions, modern methods of diagnosis and treatment help to cope with most diseases with timely treatment.

Any disease leaves a trace in the body, bronchitis and pneumonia also do not pass without a trace. And the recurrence of the disease will be inevitable if you do not change your lifestyle, eliminating all harmful factors.

Video how to treat a cough in a child

The doctor will tell you 5 specific tips on how to relieve a coughing fit.

Wheezing in the lungs during breathing in an adult without the manifestation of temperature and cough indicates the presence of a pathology of the organs of the respiratory system. It can be a mild sluggish inflammation in the bronchi, which is a consequence of not fully cured acute bronchitis, or a much more complex disease with the systematic formation of mucus in the bronchial lumen. The latter process requires a detailed study by a pulmonologist in order to make a final diagnosis and establish the cause of sputum accumulation in the lungs, through the presence of which wheezing is heard from the lungs during inhalation and exhalation. You can figure out the cause yourself by comparing the symptoms and condition for each condition that we have compiled for you in this article.

Causes of wheezing

In any case, this disease is not typical for pulmonary pathology, since most respiratory diseases cause an adult to have a rise in temperature and the urge to dry or wet cough. Wheezing can form in the bronchi even due to the presence of a small amount of blood in them. This phenomenon is often observed in patients prone to internal bleeding, when the concentration of platelets in the blood is reduced and the function of its coagulability is impaired.

If the air passes unhindered, and the characteristic whistle from the lungs is heard only on exhalation, then such wheezing is called wet. Dry rales are often combined with cough, but without fever.

The whistle coming from the throat of the patient is a physiological process that occurs in the lungs, which is a spasm of the bronchial lumen. The degree of its contraction depends on how noisy the wheezing will be. Spasm of the bronchi can occur from the reaction of the respiratory organ to an internal or external stimulus, or due to a periodic excess of mucus.

In modern pulmonology, the following causes of wheezing in the lungs in adults without cough and fever are distinguished:

Not your typical pneumonia or chronic bronchitis. Often these diseases do not necessarily occur with a temperature. They may not be noticeable for a long period of time if the inflammatory focus affects a small area of the lung or bronchi. Bronchial asthma. On average, in 90% of cases of wheezing during inhalation and exhalation during breathing, this is an allergic spasm of the bronchial lumen. This reaction of the body can be considered a severe degree of allergy. Bronchial rales always increase at the time of the onset of the attack. Depending on the severity of the disease, sputum in the bronchi may accumulate in small quantities or be absent altogether. Treatment of this pathology of the respiratory system is always specific and is based on the patient's susceptibility to certain potential allergens. Stagnation of blood in the lungs. If an adult has a disease such as heart failure, blood circulation in the vascular system in most cases is severely impaired. It is not uncommon to develop congestion in the lungs. Then blood pressure rises in this organ and the smallest vessels, the capillaries, cannot withstand overload. They burst and a small amount of blood enters the bronchi. This extraneous biological fluid in this part of the body irritates the respiratory organ and provokes wheezing. Oncological pathology. Up to stage 2 of tumor development, the patient does not experience coughing and the disease signals itself only by periodic spasms of the bronchi. In this regard, a characteristic whistle is heard from the lungs. This symptom is not long-lasting, so adults sometimes ignore the signs of a serious illness. The disease is diagnosed with an X-ray or MRI of the lungs.

Depending on the individual characteristics of a person, there may be other causes that can affect the respiratory system and the stable process of gas exchange that occurs in the lungs. All these factors are established during the examination of the patient for the final diagnosis.

General characteristics of wheezing without fever and cough

The presence of a characteristic whistle during inhalation and exhalation during breathing is always one of the manifestations of inflammation in the lungs. Even if an adult does not experience fever and cough, the following symptoms are always present: loss of appetite, shortness of breath after minor physical exertion, weight loss and weakness. Special attention should be paid to these indirect signs of respiratory disease.

According to the type of its manifestation, wired wheezing without coughing is divided into the following types:

Dry. They are observed at the very beginning of the development of the disease. Their appearance is always associated with the presence of severe inflammation in the bronchial tree. In this regard, swelling of its mucous membrane occurs and breathing becomes more rigid with the formation of wheezing and whistling. A similar behavior of the respiratory system is observed in patients with bronchial asthma, but their bronchospasm occurs not under the influence of inflammation, but through the body's immune response to allergic stimuli. They can be present both in the external environment (mold spores, pollen, dust, particles of pet hair, fragrances) and inside the adult itself (the inability of the digestive system to absorb certain foods, the components of which are later transformed into allergens). whistling. They can be observed in patients who suffer from chronic bronchitis. Their usual wheezing is almost inaudible. A thin whistle is periodically heard from the lungs, indicating inflammation in the small bronchioles and bronchi. Due to an insignificant inflammatory focus, the patient's immune system does not give a strong response to the disease for a long time. The person has no cough and no fever. This period of latent course of the disease can last from 1 week to a month or more. It all depends on the activity of the patient's immune cells. Strengthening the whistle of the lungs always indicates the growth of the inflammatory process. Wet. Present in patients who have accumulated a large amount of diluted sputum or fluid in the bronchi. During breathing, when an adult person inhales and exhales, a sound is heard as oxygen passes through the liquid formation in the lungs, and its bubbles seem to burst under the influence of excess pressure. Such noises are also called crepe noises. Moist rales can be a harbinger of future bronchial asthma or pulmonary edema. A patient with such symptoms should definitely visit a general practitioner or pulmonologist. The further state of human health depends on how quickly this happens.

It is important to remember that each of the types of wheezing emanating from the bronchi is characteristic of a certain category of lung pathologies. The presence of extraneous sounds during the patient's breathing allows the doctor to only suspect the presence of a particular disease. The final diagnosis is made only after a more detailed examination.

Treatment of wheezing in the lungs in adults

Therapy of a patient who has wheezing during breathing during inhalation or exhalation begins immediately after establishing the cause of their origin. In most cases, hospitalization in a hospital setting is not required and the patient is treated on an outpatient basis.

Depending on the type of infectious or viral pathogen, several types of drugs can be used in combination.

In the presence of asthmatic wheezing of the lungs, the patient must be consulted by an allergist. At this stage, it is especially important to identify the source of the allergy, which systematically irritates the bronchi, provoking their spasm. For an adult, an individual diet is being developed that contains only biologically healthy foods (cereals, non-fat chicken meat, wholemeal bread). For the period of treatment, citrus fruits, apricots, alcohol, tea, coffee, chocolate, sea and ocean fish, tomatoes and all dishes made on their basis are removed from the diet. It is recommended to use such vasodilating drugs as Drotaverine, Eufillin, Spasmolgon.

Wheezing during breathing caused by diseases of the cardiovascular system does not require special treatment. All the efforts of doctors are aimed at compensating for the negative impact of heart failure. As the heart, blood vessels are treated and blood circulation is restored, the patient is given mucolytic drugs in order to remove the remnants of fluid from the bronchi that have accumulated due to a violation of the small circulatory cycle in the respiratory system. As a rule, wheezing during inhalation and exhalation disappears immediately after the restoration of normal heart function and blood flow.

The most difficult is the process of treating wheezing without coughing and fever, the appearance of which is associated with an oncological process in the lungs. In such cases, it is impossible to remove extraneous noise without eliminating the tumor body that narrows the bronchial lumen. The patient is treated with chemotherapy drugs, cytostatics, and is subjected to radiotherapy. If necessary, surgical intervention is prescribed with the removal of an extraneous neoplasm. In especially severe cases, even a resection of a part of the lung is possible.

Wheezing in the throat can be one of the symptoms of a cold or SARS.

But this phenomenon is also characteristic of more serious diseases that require immediate treatment in a hospital.

Possible causes of the symptom

Possible causes of the symptom

Depending on the location of the focus of the disease, the causes of wheezing are conventionally divided into three main groups.

Laryngeal lesions. Damage to the lower respiratory tract. Diseases that do not affect the respiratory system, but are accompanied by symptoms of wheezing.

On the other hand, doctors directly distinguish wheezing and hoarseness - a decrease in the sonority of the voice and a violation of its timbre. Hoarseness appears due to diseases of the ligaments. Hoarseness is often a concomitant symptom of many colds, but it can also appear as a result of overstrain of the vocal cords.

Various lesions of the larynx

With ARVI, the appearance of wheezing in the throat in an adult or child most often indicates the spread of infection from the upper respiratory tract to the larynx area and the development of its inflammation (laryngitis). Associated symptoms: sore throat, itching, dryness and burning.

Chronic laryngitis is a consequence of acute inflammation of the larynx that has not been fully cured. Also, this disease occurs in heavy smokers and people whose work is associated with the need to talk a lot. The causes of wheezing in the throat in chronic laryngitis are associated with the appearance of nodules on the vocal cords and epiglottis.

Cause wheezing in the throat can be benign or malignant tumors.

One of the well-known diseases of the larynx is stenosis. Read on for detailed and helpful information about laryngeal stenosis.

You can read about such a problem as a spasm of the larynx here.

Lower respiratory tract lesions

Doctors determine the cause of the symptom by the nature of wheezing.

Dry most often indicate a narrowing of the lumen of the bronchi. This phenomenon accompanies pneumosclerosis, bronchospasm, compression of the bronchus wall by a tumor. Also, this symptom may indicate the presence of edema of the bronchial mucosa. With the formation of thick sputum in the lumen of the bronchus, wheezing will be sonorous and with a buzzing overtone. Whistling dry rales accompany the narrowing of the bronchi in the absence of sputum. They can be heard in patients with bronchial asthma during periods of exacerbation. Wet wheezing indicates that fluid is present in the lungs: exudate, transudate, blood, and others. They can be heard with pneumonia, pulmonary edema, after an attack of bronchial asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis, lung abscess and other diseases.

It is impossible to determine the disease only by the nature of wheezing. It is necessary to consult a doctor who will prescribe an examination and, based on the results, will be able to make a diagnosis.

What do wheezing in the throat and cough in combination say

The combination of these symptoms may indicate a blockage of the lower small bronchi. In most cases, they talk about the inflammatory process in the bronchi, throat or lungs. This condition is not always a sign of the development of viral or catarrhal diseases. This may also be due to the ingestion of a foreign object into the respiratory tract.

With a dry cough and wheezing, a doctor can diagnose bronchitis, bronchitis, or bronchial asthma. If hoarseness of voice is observed with coughing and wheezing, the development of laryngitis is most likely observed. These manifestations may indicate other diseases. The diagnosis can only be made by a doctor after a professional examination and examination of the patient's tests. Learn about the treatment of obstructive bronchitis in children.

Let's talk about the treatment of diseases that cause wheezing in the throat when breathing.

Effective modern methods of treatment

The choice of course of therapy depends on the pathogen and the stage of development of the disease. In most cases, this symptom disappears due to the treatment of the underlying disease.

How can you get rid of wheezing in the throat?

Wheezing in ARVI often manifests itself with acute laryngitis. In this case, medications in the form of sprays containing sage and menthol, such as Bioparox, are excellent. An excellent result in the treatment of laryngitis is given by inhalations with eucalyptus essential oil, taking a decoction of coltsfoot leaves. Read about eucalyptus inhalation at home here. If the disease is advanced, and nodules appear on the ligaments, the doctor may recommend surgery. Sometimes only this method can save you from losing your voice. Treatment bronchitis depends on its type.

Obstructive bronchitis requires mandatory medical supervision, since improper treatment can lead to the development of bronchial asthma. The specialist will select antibiotics. Also, inhalation with mineral water or ordinary water with soda, herbs is often used. If coniferous inhalations are indicated for other types of bronchitis, then with obstructive bronchitis they are strictly prohibited.

You can use the nebulizer with the following solutions:

Lazolvan or abrohexal. Based on atrovent, berodual, berotek or salbutamol. Pulmicort based on hormones.

These drugs must be prescribed by a doctor. You can independently decide on the choice of herbs for decoction: oregano, chamomile, sage, lavender, onion or garlic juice, diluted with water in a ratio of 1/10.

You should know that bronchitis is an infectious disease. The causative agents can be viruses, bacteria or atypical pathogens (mycoplasmas and chlamydia). Depending on this, a course of treatment is prescribed. It is extremely important for wheezing and coughing to see a doctor. Only a specialist can prescribe adequate treatment. The treatment of this group of diseases is based on the use of anti-infective drugs: antibacterial, antiviral. Expectorants are required to be used - it is important to remove the infected mucus from the body. With difficulty breathing, bronchodilator drugs are used.

Cause bronchial asthma most often becomes an allergic inflammation caused by chemicals, pollen or animal hair. Recent studies by scientists indicate that basic anti-inflammatory therapy plays a crucial role in the treatment: corticosteroids in the form of inhalations or tablets.

Read about recipes for cough with milk in this article.

But you will learn about such a symptom as dryness in the nose and throat at the link

What causes symptoms in children?

Wheezing in the throat when breathing baby up to the age of four months may be a normal reaction to saliva, at this age the baby is just beginning to learn to swallow it. Also, at this age, the glands of internal and external secretion begin to fully function, the respiratory tract develops. This phenomenon should pass after the baby is one and a half years old. Do not panic if the child's appetite and sleep are normal, and the temperature does not rise. If the newborn has wheezing in the throat, you can go for a consultation with the pediatrician and make sure there are no problems and exclude the possibility of heart disease or allergic reactions. If wheezing in the throat of a child is observed along with a sharp deterioration in health, you should immediately consult a doctor. A runny nose and cough indicate ARVI or a cold. Before the arrival of the doctor, you should create the most comfortable conditions for the baby and give as much warm liquid as possible. Wheezing, shortness of breath, lethargy, blue skin around the lips should be a signal to call an ambulance immediately. If a slight fever and a strong dry cough are added to these symptoms, the child is most likely sick. groats. Before the ambulance arrives, in this case it is very important to drip naphthyzine into the nose and let it breathe in hot, moist air. Just take the child in your arms, turn on the hot water in the bathroom and stay there until the ambulance arrives or the moment when the breathing returns to normal and the coughing fit passes. Persistent wheezing with a prolonged and severe cough, fever, and other signs of a cold may be symptoms. bronchitis. Parents should not make their own decisions about treatment choices. An adequate response in this case can only be an ambulance call and treatment of the baby in a hospital. In children older than one year, wheezing in the throat can be caused by a number of diseases: Acute or chronic bronchitis, asthma. Allergic reaction, inhalation of foreign bodies. Some heart diseases. Pneumonia or emphysema. Croup. Inflammation of the epiglottis. Read more about this disease, which is also called epiglottitis.

In most diseases, wheezing is accompanied by fever, cough or sore throat. In the case of heart disease, wheezing may be the only signal that a child has a serious health problem. Regardless of the general state of health, mothers should consult a specialist who will conduct an examination and prescribe a comprehensive treatment.

You will learn about bronchitis, in which wheezing in the throat is often observed, in the next video from Dr. Agapkin.

Regardless of the age of the patient, it is very important to remember that wheezing in the throat is only one of the symptoms. It is possible to determine the disease only after a series of tests. The range of diseases that are expressed in this way is very wide - from a common cold to malignant tumors in the respiratory tract, heart or lung diseases. With the seeming frivolity of the symptom, it is important to remember that it can signal the onset of a serious illness.