Wheezing

Welcome to our website's wheezing page. On this page we provide a description of wheezing, including its clinical significance. We then compare common high-pitched wheezes to rhonchi (lower pitched wheezes) using audio recordings and text. Finally, we provide links to the wheeze lung sound training lessons available on this web site.

Wheezing Sounds

Practice differentiating high-pitched wheezing from low-pitched wheezing (rhonchi) using these audio recordings. Additional information and recordings are available in our lung sounds courses and reference guide.

Compare high pitched wheezing to a low pitched wheeze (rhonchi).

Unlock lessons and more.

Wheeze - High-Pitched

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Wheezes can be high-pitched, continuous and musical or squeaky.

Wheeze - Low-Pitched (Rhonchi)

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Listen for a lower-pitched sound, continuous and having a snoring quality.

Wheezing Symptoms

Wheezing is a sign of breathing problems. Wheezing sounds are most often apparent during exhaling a breath. They may also be sometimes heard when the patient inhales.

Wheezing Causes

Causes of wheezing can include these:

Asthma
Bronchiectasis
Bronchiolitis
Bronchitis
Inhaling a foreign object into the lungs
COPD
Gastroesophageal reflux disease
Smoking
Heart failure
allergic reaction
Medications (even aspirin)
Pneumonia
Viral infection

Wheezing Lung Sounds Reference Guide

Our auscultation guide provides quick access to several types of wheezing sounds. The guide including a few listening tips and a waveform of the audio recording.
Wheezes
Low-Pitched Wheezes
Expiratory Wheezes
Monophonic Wheezes
Polyphonic Wheezes

Wheeze Lesson

Two lessons on wheezing sounds are part of our Basics of Lung Sounds course. We suggest taking the full course (about 15-20 minutes), but the lesson can be used without the full course. Our intermediate lung sounds course has additional types of wheezes: expiratory, monophonic and polyphonic.
Basics of Lung Sounds

Intermediate Lung Sounds