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Rales (Crackles) Lung Sounds Rales, or crackles, are discontinuous, interrupted, or explosive lung sounds. They may sound like pulling velcro open. The sounds can be short and high-pitched, or ...
- Pleurisy
Pleurisy is a type of chest pain that affects tissues around...
- Pleurisy
- Overview
- Regular lung sounds
- Wheezing
- Crackling
- Rhonchi
- Stridor
- Pleural rub
- Diagnosis
- Treatment
- When to contact a doctor
Lung sounds are the noises a person makes as they breathe in and out, including sounds of regular breathing. However, wheezing, crackling, stridor, and other sounds can also occur, indicating an underlying condition.
An individual’s respiratory system comprises many parts, including:
•the lungs
•the airways, such as the trachea and bronchial tubes
•blood vessels and muscles
•the ribs
When a doctor listens to someone’s lungs using a stethoscope, they note the frequency, intensity, and quality of the sounds they hear. These factors can help them determine whether the sounds from the lungs are regular or not.
Breath sounds can differ depending on where they occur in the respiratory system. Healthcare professionals classify them in the following ways:
•Vesicular breath sound: Vesicular breath sounds predominantly occur when someone breathes in. The sound is soft, low-pitched, and rustling in quality.
•Bronchial breath sound: The bronchial breath sound is audible over the trachea as a person breathes out. The sound is loud, hollow, and high-pitched. However, if a doctor hears a bronchial breath outside the trachea, it could indicate a health issue.
Wheezing is a high-pitched, musical, continuous sound. A doctor may be able to hear a person wheezing with or without a stethoscope.
Health experts classify wheezes into two groups:
•Monophonic wheezes: This type of wheeze produces one note and occurs during inhalation or exhalation. A monophonic wheeze can have a constant or varied frequency, and it may have a long duration or occur during both phases of respiration.
•Polyphonic wheezes: A polyphonic wheeze has multiple notes and occurs during exhalation. They can also increase in pitch toward the end of exhalation.
Crackles, also known as rales, are intermittent sounds generally audible during inhalation. They can sound similar to bubbling, popping, or clicking noises.
Experts may categorize a crackle as:
•Fine: These occur in the small airways and are soft, short, and high-pitched. Fine crackles only happen during inhalation and may sound like strips of Velcro separating.
•Coarse: Coarse crackles occur in the larger bronchi tubes and are loud, low-pitched, and last longer than fine crackles. They may sound like ‘popping’ and may resolve after someone coughs.
Causes
They happen due to fluid movement and other secretions in the large airways. This can result from conditions such as asthma and viral infections in the upper respiratory system.
Causes
Causes of stridor include: •laryngomalacia, where an infant’s larynx tissue is soft and floppy •vocal cord lesions •inhaled foreign body •compression due to swelling or lesions •laryngeal cancer
Causes
An individual’s pleurae can become inflamed due to certain health conditions that cause pain or tenderness. Causes of pleural rub include: •pneumonia •pulmonary embolism, a blood clot that travels to an artery in the lungs •malignant pleural disease, a buildup of fluid and cancerous cells that gathers between the chest wall and the lungs •pleurisy, when the pleurae are inflamed
When a doctor wants to listen to a person’s lungs, they will generally use a stethoscope, which they place on various parts of a person’s chest and back to check for different lung sounds.
They may tap an individual’s back to listen for nodules or fluid buildup. This technique involves placing the stethoscope below a person’s rib cage and tapping down their back to listen for changes in pitch when tapping.
The treatment for atypical lung sounds will depend on the cause and severity of their symptoms.
An individual with irregular lung sounds may require antibiotics if there is an infection. Doctors may also recommend anti-inflammatories to treat conditions involving inflammation.
A person with a long-term lung condition may require regular medications or treatments.
If there are more serious symptoms, treatment in the hospital and possibly surgery may be necessary.
Healthcare professionals typically hear unusual or atypical lung sounds using instruments like a stethoscope. People may not be able to hear these sounds with the naked ear.
However, the various causes of lung sounds may also lead to other symptoms. Anyone who notices new symptoms related to their breathing should speak with a doctor for a diagnosis. These symptoms could include:
•a continuous cough
•coughing up mucus or blood
•shortness of breath
•chest pain
Dec 20, 2023 · The sound is caused by an obstruction in the airways and is associated with obstructive lung diseases like COPD, asthma, and cystic fibrosis. Coughing can temporarily relieve the abnormal lung sound. Rales occur when you inhale, causing a low-pitched or high-pitched crackling noise.
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Aug 4, 2023 · Lung sounds are one of the things your provider listens for when they use a stethoscope on your chest or back. Air flowing smoothly through your airways creates normal (vesicular) lung sounds. Swelling, blockages or mucus in your airways can create abnormal lung sounds. These include rhonchi, wheezing, stridor, crackles (rales) and pleural rub.
Jan 11, 2024 · COPD lung sounds, like wheezing and crackling, can give clues about the state of your airways and help determine whether your treatment is working.
May 7, 2024 · A breath sound, also known as a lung sound, is the sound produced by your lungs whenever you inhale and exhale. These may be heard on their own or with a stethoscope. There are normal breath sounds that your healthcare provider expects to hear. Abnormal breath sounds may indicate a respiratory illness, heart disease, infection, or other ...
Jul 8, 2021 · Types of abnormal breath sounds include: Rales. This is a fine, high-pitched crackling or rattling sound that can occur when you inhale. Rhonchi. This is a low-pitched sound that resembles snoring ...
