Stridor and High acute Breathing

Chest | Pulmonology | Stridor and High acute Breathing (Symptom)


Description

Stridor is a term used to describe noisy breathing in general, and to refer specifically to a high-pitched crowing sound associated with respiratory infection and airway obstruction. Stridor occurs when erratic air currents attempt to force their way through narrowed airways by disease, infection or the presence of foreign objects and throat abnormalities

Stridor can usually be heard from a distance but is sometimes audible only during deep breathing. It is more common in young children, whose naturally small airways are easily obstructed, stridor can be a symptom of a respiratory emergency threatening. During childhood, stridor is usually caused by infection of the cartilage flap (epiglottis) that covers the opening in the windpipe to prevent choking during swallowing. It can also be caused by a toy or other tiny object the child has tried to swallow.

Causes

The most common causes of stridor in adults are: abscess or inflammation of the upper airway, paralysis or malfunction of vocal cord tumour. Other common causes of stridor include: enlargement of the thyroid gland (goiter), swelling of the larynx (edema largyngeal) and narrowing of the windpipe (tracheal stenosis).

...