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 called cyanosis)
- 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
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 Premature Infant.
Junction Rd Medical Center Allergy, Asthma And Immunology Clinic
Daniel Jackson is a Pediatric Allergy and Immunologist and an Allergy and Immunologist practicing medicine in Madison, Wisconsin. Dr. Jackson is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Stridor. He is also highly rated in 8 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Stridor, Asthma, Asthma in Children, and Common Cold. Dr. Jackson is board certified in Allergy & Immunology. Dr. Jackson is currently accepting new patients.
Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
Eric Mccollum is a Pediatric Pulmonologist practicing medicine in Baltimore, Maryland. Dr. Mccollum is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Stridor. He is also highly rated in 2 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Stridor, Infantile Pneumothorax, and Infant Respiratory Distress Syndrome. Dr. Mccollum is board certified in American Board Of Pediatrics. Dr. Mccollum is currently accepting new patients.
Summary: Every year there are an estimated 230,000 childhood deaths from TB. There is an urgent need for novel tests for TB diagnosis in children under 15 years. The Rapid Research in Diagnostics Development for TB Network (R2D2 Kids) and the Assessing Diagnostics at Point-of-care for Tuberculosis in children (ADAPT for Kids) studies seek to reduce the burden of TB worldwide by evaluating faster, simpler, ...
Summary: The main objectives of the study are to: train and validate binary classifiers for wheeze, coarse crackle, fine crackle, rhonchus, stridor, rales, and cough, as well as determine correspondence between type/location of adventitious lung sound and type of pulmonary condition.
Published Date: May 03, 2026
Published By: Neil K. Kaneshiro, MD, MHA, Clinical Professor of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. 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, et al, eds. Nelson Textbook of Pediatrics. 22nd ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2025:chap 422.
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/.