Crackles in the Lungs

Lungs are the most essential respiratory organs in all air breathing living things. These lungs are located in the chest on both the sides of the heart, and help in the intake of oxygen, and release of carbon dioxide from the bloodstream. The exchange of these gases takes place with the help of thin air sacs known as alveoli. The pulmonary alveoli are in the form of a hollow cavities. Crackles in the lungs are the crackling noises which are made by either of the lungs, due to any respiratory disease in the lungs while inhaling, and exhaling of air. One can only hear it with the stethoscope. When such noises come out of both the lungs it is referred to as Bilateral crackles. When the crackles originate at the base of the lungs they are known as Basilar crackles, and the crackles which originate at the base of both the lungs they are known as Bibasilar crackles.

What Causes Crackles In The Lungs

Asthma
Is a chronic disease that narrows the airways. It causes a wheezing sound when a person breathes. Cough and shortness of breath is the main cause of it. When the symptoms become worse, it's called an asthma attack. When an asthma attack occurs, the airways tend to close and the vital organs do not get enough oxygen, and there are chances of people dying from such asthma attacks.

Bronchitis Acute/Chronic
When the epithelium of the bronchi gets infected with a virus. it causes acute bronchitis which results in increased secretion of mucus. Cough is the most common symptom of acute bronchitis. On the other hand, chronic bronchitis occurs when there is an injury to epithelium of the bronchi, which leads to chronic swelling. Chronic bronchitis effects can be mild and severe, and are long lasting, from several months to years. With chronic bronchitis, the bronchial tubes continue to be swollen, irritated, and produce excessive mucus over time. Smoking is the most common cause of this, and one has to stop smoking to get out of it.

Severe Sepsis
Sepsis is a type of blood infection and fungal infection which overwhelms the body's immune system. Small blood clots are formed which block the blood flow to the organs and damage such organs including the lungs.

Pneumonia
This type of infection can take place in both the lungs due to viruses. One can cough, have a fever or face a hard time while breathing. When pneumonia is caused by bacteria, a child usually becomes sick very quickly, and experiences the sudden onset of high fever and unusually rapid breathing. When pneumonia is caused by viruses, symptoms tend to appear more slowly, and are often less severe than in bacterial pneumonia.

Lung Cancer
Cancer is a disease of uncontrolled cell growth in body tissues, and the same is in case of lung cancer. Lung cancer leads to metastasis, which is infiltration beyond the lungs.

Congestive Heart Failure
Congestive heart failure occurs when the heart is in no condition to pump blood to the body. With the help of a stethoscope one can listen to lung crackles or heart sounds.

Pulmonary Fibrosis
It is a disease that causes scarring of lung tissues. The most common symptoms are dry cough and having a problem while breathing.

Crackles in the lungs are usually of two types, fine crackles and coarse crackles.

Properties of Fine Crackles

• Sound is soft and high pitched
• Very brief
• Late inspiratory
• Causes pulmonary fibrosis and congestive heart failure

Properties of Coarse Crackles

• Sound is loud and low in pitch
• Long lasting
• Early inspiratory
• Causes airway diseases such as bronchiolitis

Treatment

When suffering from crackles in the lungs, one should get the chest X-ray done as soon as possible before the condition gets worse. With the help of an X-ray, the doctors can examine the lungs and know the reason behind the noise produced by the lungs, and carry on the treatment procedure accordingly. Generally, the main cause behind crackling is pneumonia, and it needs to be treated under proper observation depending upon the cause of it.

Due to the increasingly degrading lifestyle that includes smoking and sedentary activities amongst the present urban population, the possibilities of lung diseases like emphysema, followed with symptoms like crackles in the lungs are endangering our daily lives.