Wheezing and asthma in infants and young children

[Lanell]

Wheezing is a relatively high-pitched whistling noise produced by movement of air through narrowed or compressed small airways. It is common in the first few years of life and is typically caused by viral respiratory tract infection or asthma, but other possible causes include inhaled irritants or allergens, esophageal reflux, and heart failure.
(See also Wheezing and Asthma in adults.)
Recurrent episodes of wheezing are common in the first few years of life; 1 in 3 children have at least one acute wheezing episode before 3 years of age (1). Because such wheezing typically responds to bronchodilators, this problem has historically been considered asthma. However, recent evidence that many children who have had recurrent wheezing in early childhood do not have asthma later in childhood or adolescence suggests that alternative diagnoses should be considered in young children with recurrent wheezing.