Wheeze in children is a common presentation in general practice and it is up to the doctor to establish the cause of the wheeze, treat the child and educate the parents.
A wheeze is a whistling noise with a musical quality that is generated when the muscles surrounding the small airways of the lungs contract, causing narrowing of the airways and difficulty in breathing in, often referred to by doctors as 'tight airways'. This may be mimicked by trying to breathe through a narrow straw. It is also difficult to breathe out, taking longer for the air from the lungs to be expelled. Wheeze is heard on expiration, whereas noises on breathing in are described in medical terms as stridor.
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