Wheezing Lung Sounds

Introduction

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 website.

Our wheezing lesson can be found in this course. Secondly, our reference index is designed to provide quick access to stridor sounds, with audio tracks, listening guides and waveforms. Use this link for quick reference to heart and lung sounds.

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 website.

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.



Listen

Listening Tips

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.

Audio Playback

virtual auscultation of patient torso




auscultation position of patient

The patient's position is seated.

Waveform

Compare To Rhonchi

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

virtual auscultation of patient torso




auscultation position of patient

The patient's position is seated.

Respiratory Sounds Reference Guide

Our auscultation reference guide provides quick access to this sound as well as many other adventitious sounds. Each sound is described also with an audio recording and waveform.

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

Quick Links to Other Breath Sounds

While we have many breath sound lessons and quick references on this website. Please use the links below.



Related Lessons


Basics of Lung Sounds
The goal of this basic course in lung sounds is to improve auscultation observational skills. We focus on describing important breath sounds and in providing recordings of each. Many students find that waveform tracings aid in learning lung sounds; we have included dynamic (moving cursor) waveforms with each lesson. The anatomy pages use illustrations to reveal an example of each lung sound (anatomy not yet available on smartphones).
Lesson List
1 Vesicular - Normal
2 Crackles - Fine (Rales)
3 Crackles - Coarse (Rales)
4 Wheeze
5 Rhonchi - Low-Pitched Wheezes
6 Bronchial
7 Pleural Rubs
8 Bronchovesicular
Intermediate Lung Sounds
The goal of this intermediate course is to expand your observational skills when auscultating breath sounds. The course lessons include voiced sounds: bronchophony, egophony and whispered pectoriloquy. We also provide auscultation lessons on several types of wheezes, crackles and stridor. Each of these lung sound lessons includes audio, text and dynamic waveform. The anatomy pages use illustrations to reveal an example of each lung sound (anatomy not yet available on smartphones).
Lesson List
1 Vesicular - Diminished
2 Bronchophony - Healthy
3 Bronchophony - Abnormal
4 Egophony - e
5 Egophony - a
6 Whispered Pectoriloquy - Healthy
7 Whispered Pectoriloquy - Abnormal
8 Wheeze - Expiratory
9 Wheeze - Monophonic
10 Wheeze - Polyphonic
11 Crackles - Early Inspiratory (Rales)
12 Crackles - Late Inspiratory (Rales)
13 Stridor


Authors and Reviewers

Authored by Diane Wrigley, PA
Medically reviewed by Dr. Barbara Erickson, PhD, RN, CCRN.
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