Read in: English | Pidgin English
🩺 Medically reviewed by the Health Decoded Guide Editorial Team
🔍 Quick Breakdown
Wheezing na high-pitched whistling sound wey person fit hear when pikin dey breathe.
Most times, e happen because the small air passages inside the lungs don become narrow.
👉🏾 Wheezing no be sickness by itself. Na sign say something dey affect how air dey move inside the lungs.
🎧 You know wetin wheezing sound like? Abeg listen to real breathing sounds for our Lung Sound Library to help you sabi am and even d different other breathing sound.
🟧 Wetin dey happen for the body?
When pikin breathe normally, air dey pass freely through the airways.
But if the airways swell, get mucus inside, or the muscles around dem tighten:
• the airway become narrow
• air no fit pass freely again
• whistling sound fit happen as pikin dey breathe
Because babies and small children get naturally small airways, even small swelling fit make dem wheeze.
👉🏾 This na why wheezing dey common for young children.
🟧 Wetin fit cause am?
Different health problems fit cause wheezing.
• viral infection
→ common cold or other viruses fit make the airways swell.
• asthma
→ some children dey wheeze many times, especially if exercise, cold air or allergies trigger am.
• allergies
→ dust, pollen, pet hair or other things fit trigger wheezing.
• something wey pikin mistakenly inhale
→ like groundnut, small toy or food wey block d airway.
• cigarette smoke
→ second-hand smoke fit irritate d pikin lungs.
👉🏾 No be every pikin wey dey wheeze get asthma.
🟧 How you fit know say pikin dey wheeze?
Parents fit notice:
• whistling sound when pikin dey breathe
→ e usually louder when pikin breathe out.
• cough
→ sometimes the cough fit worse for night.
• fast breathing
→ pikin fit dey breathe faster than normal.
• chest dey move harder
→ ribs or neck fit dey pull inward as pikin dey struggle breathe.
• pikin no fit play well
→ because breathing become stressful.
👉🏾 Sometimes parents hear the wheezing before the child even complain.
🟧 Wetin fit resemble wheezing?
No be every noisy breathing na wheezing.
Some children fit get:
• blocked nose
→ e fit make breathing noisy but lungs dey normal.
• croup
→ breathing sound fit rough and cough fit sound like dog bark.
• bronchiolitis
→ common for babies, especially during RSV infection.
👉🏾 Healthcare worker fit examine the child to know the real cause.
🟧 Real life example
One evening, Aisha notice say her three-year-old son, Amir, begin cough after e catch common cold.
As night reach:
• she hear small whistling sound anytime Amir breathe.
• e begin dey breathe faster than normal.
At first:
• Aisha fear say maybe Amir don get asthma.
When she carry am go hospital:
Doctor examine Amir, explain say na viral wheeze, wey dey common for small children after viral infection.
For hospital, Amir receive medicine to help open him airways, and d wheezing begin improve.
Some children only need one or two doses for hospital before dem breathe normally again.
Others fit need inhaler medicine (usually with spacer) for a few days until d viral infection settle.
Depending on d pikin and d local treatment, doctor fit also prescribe medicine to continue for house if e still dey wheeze or d breathing still dey difficult.
After few days of rest and recovery from d viral infection, Amir breathing return to normal.
👉🏾 One episode of wheezing no automatically mean say d pikin get asthma.
Some children dey only wheeze wen dem get viral infections and fit no develop asthma.
🟧 When you suppose go hospital 🚨
• pikin dey struggle breathe
• lips or face dey turn blue
• pikin no fit talk or cry well because of breathing
• pikin dey unusually weak or difficult to wake
• baby no fit suck breast or feed because of breathing
👉🏾 These fit be signs of severe breathing problem wey need urgent treatment.
🟢 Final reassurance
Wheezing common for many children, especially during viral infections.
Many children recover completely, but some need further checks to find the cause.
👉🏾 If wheezing dey happen many times or pikin dey struggle to breathe, make healthcare worker examine am early.
📚 Reference
For full medical references, see English version of this article.
⚠️ Disclaimer
This article na for education only. E no replace advice from doctor.
If your pikin get symptoms or breathing problem, abeg see qualified healthcare professional.
🔗 Related Health Topics
• Viral Wheeze in Children
• Asthma in Children
• Bronchiolitis
• Pneumonia in Children
• Common Cold in Children
• Cough in Children