What is the significance of expiratory wheezes in a patient with asthma?

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Multiple Choice

What is the significance of expiratory wheezes in a patient with asthma?

Expiratory wheezes occur when air is forced through narrowed airways, so they reflect bronchoconstriction causing airway obstruction. In asthma, inflammation tightens the bronchial smooth muscle, leads to edema, and increases mucus, all of which narrow the lumen. As air moves outward during expiration, this narrowing creates turbulent flow and audible wheezes. That’s why expiratory wheezes are a sign of bronchoconstriction and obstructed airways rather than a sign of decreased resistance or obstruction from non-bronchoconstrictive causes. While mucus can contribute to blockage, the key idea is the narrowing from bronchoconstriction driving the wheeze.

Expiratory wheezes occur when air is forced through narrowed airways, so they reflect bronchoconstriction causing airway obstruction. In asthma, inflammation tightens the bronchial smooth muscle, leads to edema, and increases mucus, all of which narrow the lumen. As air moves outward during expiration, this narrowing creates turbulent flow and audible wheezes. That’s why expiratory wheezes are a sign of bronchoconstriction and obstructed airways rather than a sign of decreased resistance or obstruction from non-bronchoconstrictive causes. While mucus can contribute to blockage, the key idea is the narrowing from bronchoconstriction driving the wheeze.

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