Medical Health Encyclopedia

Injury Disease Nutrition Poison Symptoms Surgery Test Special Topic

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P R S T U V W Y

Lungs Breath sounds

Overview Treatment

Breath sounds

Alternative Names: Lung sounds; Breathing sounds Call your health care provider if: Nasal flaring  and cyanosis are emergency symptoms. Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath can be an emergency condition. Seek immediate medical care if you have any of these symptoms. Text Continues Below Contact your health care provider if you have wheezing or other abnormal breathing sounds. What to expect at your health care provider's office: Your healthcare provider will do a physical exam and ask you questions about your medical history and your breathing. Questions may include: Time pattern When did the breathing sound start? How long did it last? Is there a pattern to the occurrences? Quality How would you describe it? Relieving factors What makes it better? Aggravating factors What makes it worse? Other What other symptoms are also present? Is there any coughing? Is there any difficulty breathing? Abnormal breath sounds are usually discovered by the health care provider. You may not even notice them.   The following tests may be done: Chest x-ray Pulmonary function tests Blood tests (including an arterial blood gas) CT scan of the chest Analysis of a sputum sample (sputum culture, sputum gram stain)

A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org). The information provided herein should not be used during any medical emergency or for the diagnosis or treatment of any medical condition. A licensed physician should be consulted for diagnosis and treatment of any and all medical conditions. Call 911 for all medical emergencies. Links to other sites are provided for information only -- they do not constitute endorsements of those other sites. Copyright 2004 A.D.A.M., Inc. Any duplication or distribution of the information contained herein is strictly prohibited.