Stridor and wheezing are distinguished by the mechanical relationship between airway obstruction location and the phase of respiration, following Bernoulli/pressure principles: extrathoracic obstruction narrows further during inspiration (producing inspiratory stridor), while intrathoracic obstruction narrows further during expiration (producing expiratory wheeze), with asthma classically producing wheeze that appears first on exhalation before progressing to both phases as airway narrowing worsens. In pediatric pulmonology, the differential diagnosis of wheeze is age-stratified, since the causes of airway narrowing (mucus plugging, foreign body, structural anomaly, smooth muscle bronchoconstriction, or infectious/allergic hyperresponsiveness) differ in prevalence across infancy, early childhood, and later childhood, and clinical assessment of severity relies on standardized indicators of disease control and history rather than any single physical exam finding.
Stridor and wheezing are distinguished by the mechanical relationship between airway obstruction location and the phase of respiration, following Bernoulli/pressure principles: extrathoracic obstruct…