In patients with asthma, what might be expected in the lung sound patterns?

In patients with asthma, hyperresonance may be expected in lung sounds due to the air trapping that occurs during an asthma attack. Asthma is characterized by inflammation and narrowing of the airways, which can lead to difficulty in expelling air from the lungs. This results in an accumulation of air, particularly in the distal airways and alveoli, leading to a hyperinflated state. When percussing the chest of a patient with asthma, the excess air in the lungs produces a hyperresonant note, which is a lower pitch sound that indicates an increase in air volume.

Additionally, hyperresonance can be associated with the wheezing and prolonged expiration typically heard during auscultation in asthmatic patients. This further supports the presence of air trapping and obstruction in the airway. In contrast, other sounds such as dullness or reduced breath sounds would be indicative of different pathological conditions, such as pleural effusion or lung consolidation, which are not characteristic of asthma. Therefore, recognizing hyperresonance is crucial in understanding the respiratory dynamics in asthmatic individuals.