What should you know about chronic wheezing?

Wheezing often becomes more noticeable when breathing out, but it can occur at other times. Persistent wheezing may accompany asthma, COPD, allergic rhinitis or lingering airway irritation after acute bronchitis. In young children, bronchiolitis is another possibility. The sound can vary with exercise, infection, allergens, smoke or cold air.

A clinician may listen to your chest, check oxygen levels and breathing pattern, and arrange tests such as lung-function assessment. Wheezing is a symptom, not a diagnosis, so the same sound can have different causes.

Arrange an appointment if wheezing continues, returns repeatedly or limits sleep, speech or activity. Record when it happens, possible triggers, cough, chest tightness and any inhalers used. Avoid smoke and known irritants, and use prescribed inhalers exactly as instructed.

Treatment depends on the cause. A nebuliser treatment (/treatments/acute-and-urgent-care/nebuliser-treatment/) may be used in some settings, but it is not suitable for every episode. Do not borrow another person’s inhaler.

Call emergency services for severe breathlessness, blue or grey lips, inability to speak in full sentences, collapse, or rapidly worsening symptoms after food, medicine or an insect sting, which may signal anaphylaxis (/conditions/anaphylaxis/). Urgent assessment is also needed for sudden wheezing with choking or chest pain.

Ask what may be triggering the wheeze, whether asthma (/conditions/asthma/) or COPD (/conditions/copd/) needs checking, which inhaler technique to use, and what action plan applies during a flare.