Wheeze in patients with COPD
Wheezing is the descriptive term for the whistling sound that COPD patients can make on expiration, either at rest or when breathing is labored. As the disease progresses, wheezing becomes more prominent, and may be either constant or sporadic. Patients in the earlier stages of COPD may wheeze upon moderate to heavy exertion, or wheezing may accompany a cough. Patient-reported wheezing, however, has limited usefulness in diagnosing COPD. Rhonchi is the name for loud, rattling wheezes, often associated with very thick secretions and mucus in the central airways of patients with active chronic bronchitis or acute exacerbations of COPD.
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