AN OUTPATIENT SURVEY OF WHEEZING PAEDIATRIC PATIENTS IN A TERTIARY CARE HOSPITAL

1Associate Professor, Department of Paediatrics, SAMC and PGI, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. 2Junior Resident, Department of Paediatrics, SAMC and PGI, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. 3Junior Resident, Department of Paediatrics, SAMC and PGI, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. 4Professor, Department of Paediatrics, SAMC and PGI, Indore, Madhya Pradesh. ABSTRACT BACKGROUND Wheezing is a common condition in paediatric practice. It can be defined as a musical sound, high-pitched and continuous, emitting from the chest during breath exhalation. Although, almost 50% of children experiences wheeze in the first 6 years of life, only 40% of them will report continued wheezing symptoms after childhood. During the act of inspiration air enters the alveoli through larynx, trachea and bronchi and during expiration in the opposite direction. Vibrations caused by the passage or movement of air through these structures results in the production of respiratory sound. Expiratory thoracic muscles compress the lower chest, abdominal muscles contract pushing diaphragm up in an attempt to squeeze the air out of the lung resulting in raised intrapulmonary pressure. The air now escapes under high pressure through the narrowed bronchial lumen producing cooy sound, so an outpatient survey was done to evaluate the common causes of wheezing in paediatric patients.