Wheezing is a musical, whistly sound that children make, usually when breathing out. It can also happen when they breathe in. The sound comes from the chest, not from the nose or throat.
The wheeze often starts with a cough or a cold caused by a virus.
Cough and wheezing are common when young children have colds and chest infections.
The viral infection may cause a narrowing of the small airways or an increase in mucus production in your child's lungs. Viral wheeze is more common in children under the age of 3 years as their airways are smaller.
The wheeze may return each time your child has a cold and can occasionally last for some weeks.
No, wheezing does not usually mean your child has asthma. It is often difficult to tell whether very young children have asthma, as they have narrower airways and tend to get a lot of colds.
More than half the children with viral wheeze will grow out of it as their airways grow and develop. Some children with frequent viral wheeze may go on to develop asthma. This is more likely if:
Viral wheeze often starts as a cold, with a runny nose. Your child might also have:
Most children with viral wheeze get better by themselves without any treatment.
Antibiotics do not help with viral wheeze.
Doctors may give a blue inhaler to some children with viral wheeze. The same medicine is used for asthma. It's sometimes called a reliever or a puffer. This medicine helps open the airways to allow air to move in and out of the lungs more easily.
You will need to use the reliever inhaler with a plastic tube called a spacer and a mask. Ask your doctor or nurse to show you how to use these properly.
If your doctor has given your child a reliever inhaler:
If your child is still not improving:
You need to take your child to your family doctor, or an after-hours clinic, or the hospital:
Check out the signs that your child is struggling to breathe [1]
You should see your family doctor or go to an after-hours medical centre urgently if your child:
Even if you've already seen your doctor, if your child's breathing difficulties get worse or you are worried, take your child back to the doctor.
Dial 111 within New Zealand (use the appropriate emergency number in other countries) and ask for urgent medical help if your child:
Children with more serious viral wheeze may need to go to hospital. Sometimes children need help with their breathing. This might include extra oxygen through small soft plastic tubes that fit into your child's nose.
If your child is not drinking enough, they may need feeding through a nasogastric tube (a tube through the nose into the stomach) or fluid through an intravenous drip (into a vein).
Your child may need other medicines that they breathe in, or sometimes medicines through a drip.
Make sure your child's environment is smoke-free. If you want to give up smoking:
Keeping the house warm and well-insulated will also decrease your child's risk of developing viral wheeze.
See the KidsHealth page on keeping your home warm and dry [2]
Starship clinical guideline. Chest x-ray in acute wheeze [3].
The Sydney Children's Hospital Network. Viral induced wheeze [4].
Australian Family Physician. The wheezing child: An algorithm [5].
BPAC NZ. Assessing wheeze in pre-school children [6].
Department of Health. Government of Western Australia. Wheezing in children [7].
Better Health Channel. Coughing and wheezing in children [8].
UpToDate. Evaluation of wheezing in infants and children [9].
This page last reviewed 29 May 2023.
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Links
[1] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/signs-children-are-struggling-breathe
[2] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/keeping-your-home-warm-dry
[3] https://starship.org.nz/guidelines/chest-xray-in-acute-wheeze/
[4] https://www.schn.health.nsw.gov.au/fact-sheets/wheeze-viral-induced-wheeze
[5] https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2015/june/the-wheezing-child-an-algorithm/
[6] https://bpac.org.nz/BPJ/2013/November/wheeze.aspx
[7] https://www.healthywa.wa.gov.au/Articles/U_Z/Wheezing-in-children
[8] https://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/health/ConditionsAndTreatments/coughing-and-wheezing-in-children
[9] https://www.uptodate.com/contents/evaluation-of-wheezing-in-infants-and-children
[10] https://www.kidshealth.org.nz/contact?from=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.kidshealth.org.nz%2Fprint%2F2491%3Flanguage%3Dzh-hant