What should you know about bad wheezing?

Wheezing is a whistling sound created when air moves through narrowed airways. It may occur with Asthma, COPD, Acute Bronchitis or Bronchiolitis, and allergies can also irritate or narrow the airways. Wheezing after eating, taking a medicine or an insect sting can be part of Anaphylaxis. It can happen while breathing out, in, or both; the timing and other symptoms help a clinician judge the cause.

Sit upright, loosen tight clothing, move away from smoke or a known irritant, and try to stay calm. If you have a prescribed reliever inhaler, use it according to your personal action plan. Do not borrow another person's inhaler or delay care to try home remedies. Note when the wheeze began, what triggered it, and whether you can speak and walk normally.

Call emergency services if breathing is very difficult, lips look blue or grey, you cannot speak in full sentences, you become drowsy or confused, or symptoms began with facial or throat swelling. Seek same-day assessment for new, persistent or worsening wheezing, chest tightness, fever, or reduced ability to exercise. A Nebuliser Treatment may be used by clinicians for selected breathing problems, but the cause still needs assessment.

Ask what may have narrowed your airways, whether you need breathing tests, and how to use your prescribed inhaler correctly. Ask for a written action plan describing what to do if wheezing returns or fails to settle.