Email a Friend
Print ArticleAsthma Health Center
Understanding Wheezing - Symptoms
What Are the Symptoms of Wheezing?
The symptoms of wheezing include a musical or whistling sound and labored breathing, particularly when exhaling; sometimes accompanied by a feeling of tightening in the chest. You can hear wheezing more loudly if you plug your ears and exhale rapidly, or by using a stethoscope held at the neck or over the lungs. On the other hand, stridor is a wheezing sound heard during inhalation, and usually caused by narrowing of the windpipe or vocal cords (in the neck).
Call Your Doctor About Wheezing If:
- Wheezing is accompanied by a fever of 101° F or above. You may have a respiratory infection such as acute bronchitis, sinusitis, or pneumonia.
- Breathing is so difficult that you feel that you are suffocating. This can be a sign of a severe asthma episode or an allergic reaction (anaphylaxis); get emergency medical help immediately (call 911 in the United States).
- You wheeze frequently and cough up greenish or gray phlegm. You may have chronic bronchitis, emphysema, or COPD.
- You begin wheezing suddenly and cough up frothy pink or white phlegm. This may be a sign of heart failure; get emergency medical help immediately.
- You cough up bloody phlegm or you have a sharp, localized chest pain (pleurisy); this could be a sign of pulmonary embolism.
WebMD Medical Reference
Reviewed by
James E. Gerace, MD on November 27, 2008
© 2008 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved.
Asthma is the most common reason children get short of breath while exercising, but it's not the only reason.
