Wheezing or groaning from the chest is a very common phenomenon in infants and young children. About 25-30% of babies will experience this condition at some stage. About 40% appear when a child is 3 years old and close to 50% by 6 years.
The most common causes are asthma, allergies, infections, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).
The truth about babies wheezing
Many parents are scared when they hear a baby's wheezing, but it's very common.
Infants and young children are more likely to wheeze than adults. Because at this age, the bronchus is small in size, it is easy to spasm, edema affects the airways.
Certain genetic conditions and birth defects can cause an infant to wheeze.
Babies wheeze
Why is wheezing so common in children?
Smaller children's lungs, with lower respiratory tract resistance. Young children's lungs are less elastic, the airways are less, so they are more prone to clogging than adults.
What do different wheezing symptoms mean?
Asthma or allergies are a common cause of wheezing in babies.
If wheezing is seasonal or occurs when a baby is exposed to a specific environment, such as dust or air pollution, the most likely cause is asthma or allergies.
If wheezing starts suddenly, it could be the result of a respiratory infection or inhalation of foreign bodies.
Prolonged wheezing from birth indicates that the baby is likely to have birth defects.
Children who are constantly wheezing and with recurrent respiratory diseases should be tested for cystic fibrosis, blood metabolism disorders, and primary villi movement.
A common cause of wheezing in babies
Allergy
If your baby is allergic to something, such as pollen or dust, his body will treat it as a foreign object, and his immune system immediately reacts. This narrows the airways, which means air is forced through a smaller space. And a wheezing sound was born from there.
Asthma
Children with asthma have a sensitive respiratory tract that makes them more susceptible to inflammation when exposed to irritants and irritants, such as cigarette smoke or air pollution. This leads to wheezing, coughing, shortness of breath, and chest tightness. Symptoms tend to get worse at night.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD)
This is when stomach acids rise up into the esophagus or food passage. A small amount of this liquid can be inhaled, causing irritation and swelling of the small airways, causing the baby to wheeze.
Regularly burp your baby while feeding, sit up straight for at least 30 minutes after eating to reduce the risk of GERD. Usually babies get over this by the time they are 1 year old.
Infection
Most infant respiratory infections can be treated at home, but care should be taken if the baby has unusual symptoms.
Certain chest infections can lead to a baby having a wheezing and difficulty breathing. These include lower respiratory tract infections, such as bronchiolitis and pneumonia.
An upper respiratory tract infection, also known as the common cold, can also cause noise when breathing but will not cause wheezing unless the lower respiratory tract is affected.
In most babies, these infections usually get better with home treatment, rest, and plenty of fluids.
A small number of children with bronchiolitis will have symptoms, including wheezing, a dry cough, and vomiting after feeding.
When should parents take their children to see a doctor?
Babies wheeze
Parents should seek medical attention if the child is under 12 weeks of age, has health problems, is having difficulty breathing, has poor appetite, has not urinated for more than 12 hours or has a high temperature.
Especially if the baby is pale or sweating, the tongue or lips turn blue, or there are periods of sighing stops, parents should take their baby to the doctor immediately.
Symptoms of pneumonia can develop suddenly, within 24-48 hours, or may occur over a few days. Symptoms of pneumonia include:
cough
shortness of breath
fast heart beat
fever
sweat
trembling
picky eaters
Infants and young children are at risk of pneumonia, but mostly viral, the only treatment is support, rest, and plenty of fluids.
Rare cause of wheezing in a newborn
Broncho-pulmonary dysplasia (BPD): a chronic condition that usually develops in preterm infants who have been ventilated because of poor lung development. Babies with BPD may need oxygen after discharge.
If the baby inhales an object, and it interferes with the airways, the baby may wheeze, cough, or choke. This can happen while eating or playing. At this time, the adult should put the baby in an upright position and seek emergency medical help.
To prevent choking from occurring, children under 4 years of age should not be given foods such as popcorn, peanuts, hard candies, large pieces of sausage or fruit.
Children under 3 years of age must not play with toys with small parts because there is a risk that swallowing can cause choking.
If a baby has been wheezing since birth, the reason may be congenital. Congenital conditions can include:
congenital vascular abnormality
Cystic fibrosis
primary villi movement disorder
tracheal-lung defects
dysfunction of the larynx
Treatment of wheezing in a newborn
Because there is a reason why babies wheeze, treatment must depend on the specific cause. You will probably let your mother take care of the baby at home if the baby is wheezing from common reasons.
Home care measures when an infant is wheezing
Clean the baby's nose and throat with normal saline, to avoid stagnant phlegm in the nasal cavity.
Keep the baby warm: actively keep the baby warm to limit the baby's runny nose, avoid the baby or sniffle, causing a runny nose to run into the back of the throat causing coughing.
Use an air humidifier: it adds moisture to the air. It helps loosen any obstruction in the airways, potentially reducing wheezing.
Give your baby plenty of water: if the child is wheezing due to an infection, it is important to provide enough water for the baby. Make sure your baby has enough fluids to make mucus help clean the nose.
Newborn wheezing is a fairly common phenomenon, but it's not too dangerous, but mothers need to be closely watched. If detecting that the child is short of breath or the skin, purple lips need to quickly take the child to medical facilities for prompt treatment.
Above is some information about baby wheezing. Hope to be helpful for parents who are raising young children. Wishing parents always healthy baby. For more information on mother and baby health, visit Theasianparent today!
Hangfah (general)
See more:
What should an infant with a stuffy nose do?
Infants have reflux - Cause and effective remedy
The most common diseases in which babies can get infected with viruses from their parents