Can allergies cause wheezing?

How allergies cause it

Wheezing is a whistling or squeaky sound in your chest when you breathe, especially when you breathe out.¹ Swelling or narrowing of your throat or the airways to your lungs can cause it.¹ Asthma and COPD are most often linked with wheezing, but an allergic reaction is another common cause.¹

Allergens are the most common asthma trigger, and allergic asthma is the most common type of asthma.² Your body thinks the allergen is harmful, and your immune system responds by releasing an antibody called immunoglobulin E (IgE).² Too much IgE can cause swelling of the airways in your lungs, which can make it harder to breathe and set off an asthma flare-up or attack.² During an attack, swelling or tightening narrows the airways, and you may start to wheeze.³

Asthma symptoms are often closely linked to allergies and to triggers such as ragweed, pollen, animal dander or dust mites.¹ AAFA also names mold, cockroaches and animals such as mice and rats.²

Wheezing can also be part of anaphylaxis, a serious allergic reaction that typically comes on quickly and may cause death.⁵ Its breathing symptoms include wheezing, shortness of breath, throat tightness and cough.⁵ Peanuts, tree nuts, shellfish, fish, milk, eggs and sesame cause most anaphylaxis from food, and venom from yellow jackets, honeybees, paper wasps, hornets and fire ants can cause severe and even deadly reactions.⁵ Symptoms usually appear within minutes to a few hours after eating a food or being stung.⁵

Allergies or something else?

Other conditions, some related to allergies and asthma and some not, can lead to wheezing.¹

Children sometimes wheeze without having asthma, and wheezing and shortness of breath can be symptoms of a cold in children with a family history of allergies.¹

Asthma is sometimes hard to diagnose because it can look like other breathing problems, such as emphysema, bronchitis and lower respiratory infections.¹ To tell them apart, allergists rely on a medical history and a thorough physical exam with tests such as spirometry, which measures the air taken into and out of the lungs.¹

Asthma symptoms often follow a pattern.⁴ They come and go over time or within the same day.⁴ They can be triggered by exercise, allergies, cold air, or breathing fast from laughing or crying, and they are often worse at night or in the morning.⁴

When to see a doctor

If you begin wheezing after an insect sting, after taking a drug or after eating something you are allergic to, get emergency care.¹ Also get emergency care if you have difficulty breathing or your skin turns blue.¹ If wheezing comes with other signs of a severe allergic reaction, such as throat tightness, trouble swallowing or dizziness, seek medical care immediately and call 911, and don’t wait to see if the symptoms go away on their own.⁵

See an allergist if you have unexplained wheezing that keeps coming back, or wheezing along with other symptoms such as rapid breathing or problems taking in air.¹ If you think you have allergic asthma, AAFA advises seeing a board-certified allergist, who may do lung function tests and allergy skin or blood tests.²