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Types

Last reviewed dd mmm yyyy. Last edited dd mmm yyyy

Wheezes are described in terms of:

frequency: high- or low-pitched
duration: long or short
location in respiratory cycle: inspiratory or expiratory
number: single - monophonic - or multiple - polyphonic

A monophonic wheeze consists of a small number of notes starting and ending at different times. It may be caused by asthma, by a large tumour occluding a major bronchus (often positionally dependent), and interstitial fibrotic conditions (characteristically within the lower lobes).

Polyphonic wheezes are composed of many discordant frequencies starting and finishing in tandem. It implicates compression of central bronchi. It is characteristic of chronic obstructive lung disease, when it occurs at rest in expiration. It is mimicked by a rapid rate of flow during a forced expiratory ejection.

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