StridorSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Stridor
Stridor is an abnormal, high-pitched, musical breathing sound. It is caused by a blockage in the throat or voice box (larynx). It is most often heard when taking in a breath.
Breathing sounds - abnormal; Extrathoracic airway obstruction; Wheezing - stridor
Children are at higher risk of airway blockage because they have narrower airways than adults. In young children, stridor is a sign of airway blockage. It must be treated right away to prevent the airway from becoming completely closed.
The airway can be blocked by an object, swollen tissues of the throat or upper airway, or a spasm of the airway muscles or the vocal cords.
Common causes of stridor include:
- Airway injury
- Allergic reaction
- Problem breathing and a barking cough (croup)
- Diagnostic tests such as bronchoscopy or laryngoscopy
- Epiglottitis, which is inflammation of the movable cartilage that covers the windpipe
- Inhaling an object such as a peanut or marble (foreign body aspiration)
- Swelling and irritation of the voice box (laryngitis)
- Neck surgery
- Use of a breathing tube for a long time
- Secretions such as phlegm (sputum)
- Smoke inhalation or other inhalation injury
- Swelling of the neck or face
- Swollen tonsils or adenoids (such as with tonsillitis)
- Vocal cord cancer
Follow your health care provider's advice to treat the cause of the problem.
Stridor may be a sign of an emergency. Contact your provider right away if there is unexplained stridor, especially in a child.
In an emergency, your provider will check your temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure, and may need to do abdominal thrusts to clear the airway.
A breathing tube may be needed if you can't breathe properly.
After you are stable, your provider may ask about your medical history, and perform a physical exam. This includes listening to your lungs.
Parents or caregivers may be asked the following medical history questions:
- Is the abnormal breathing a high-pitched sound?
- Did the breathing problem start suddenly?
- Could the child have put something in their mouth?
- Has the child been ill recently?
- Is the child's neck or face swollen?
- Has the child been coughing or complaining of a sore throat?
- What other symptoms does the child have? (For example, nasal flaring or a bluish color to the skin, lips, or nails)
- Is the child using chest muscles to breathe (intercostal retractions)?
Tests that may be done include:
- Arterial blood gas analysis
- Bronchoscopy
- Chest CT scan
- Laryngoscopy (examination of the voice box)
- Pulse oximetry to measure blood oxygen level
- X-ray of the chest or neck
University Of Rochester
Augusto Litonjua is an Intensive Care Medicine provider practicing medicine in Rochester, New York. Dr. Litonjua is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Stridor. He is also highly rated in 5 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Asthma in Children, Asthma, Stridor, and Vitamin D Deficiency.
Ingrid Laing practices practicing medicine in Crawley, Australia. Ms. Laing is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Stridor. She is also highly rated in 2 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Stridor, Asthma, Eosinophilic Asthma, and Type 2 Diabetes (T2D).
Fabio Midulla practices practicing medicine in Rome, Italy. Mr. Midulla is rated as an Elite expert by MediFind in the treatment of Stridor. He is also highly rated in 19 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Bronchitis, Stridor, Parainfluenza, Bone Marrow Aspiration, and Stent Placement.
Summary: Antibiotics are a mainstay of the treatment of lower respiratory infections in young children even though most episodes are caused by self-limiting viruses. Innovative child friendly tools that improve the diagnosis of respiratory illnesses, safely reduce the unnecessary use of antibiotics, and are suitable for implementation in resource-constrained settings are urgently required to safely improve...
Summary: The purpose of this research is to prospectively train and validate an artificial intelligence machine learning (ML) algorithm to detect the presence of adventitious lung sounds in adults. Clinicians will use the Eko CORE and/or Eko CORE 500 device(s) in real clinical settings to collect normal and abnormal lung sounds, as part of standard of care clinical practice, which will then be used to expl...
Published Date: April 01, 2024
Published By: Charles I. Schwartz, MD, FAAP, Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, General Pediatrician at PennCare for Kids, Phoenixville, PA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Griffiths AG. Chronic or recurrent respiratory symptoms. In: Kliegman RM, St. Geme JW, Blum NJ, Shah SS, Tasker RC, Wilson KM, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 21st ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2020:chap 401.
Rose E. Pediatric upper airway obstruction and infections. In: Walls RM, ed. Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2023:chap 162.
Zalzal HG, Zalzal GH. Stridor in the Infant Patient. Pediatr Clin North Am. 2022;69(2):301-317. PMID: 35337541 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35337541/.