Are moist rales in the lungs serious?

Wet rales are also called bubbling sounds. Many patients with lung diseases will experience wet rales. If moist rales appear in the lungs, it will have a great impact on the patient's lungs. This usually means that there are potential problems with people's lungs, which requires everyone's attention and must be treated in time. So, is it serious if there are moist rales in the lungs?

What does moist rales in the lungs mean?

Wet rales are the sounds produced by the rupture of bubbles formed by the secretions in the respiratory tract such as exudate, sputum, blood, mucus and pus when inhaling, so they are also called blister sounds. Or it is believed that the crackling sound is caused by the small bronchial walls being closed due to adhesion of secretions, and suddenly opening and re-inflating during inspiration. It is divided into coarse, medium, and fine moist rales and crepitus. The distribution may be localized or full of moist rales in both lung fields.

What are the common diseases that cause moist rales in the lungs?

Pneumonia: Not all pneumonia patients will have rales, and the same pneumonia patient will not have rales throughout the entire course of the disease. In typical pneumococcal pneumonia, no rales are heard during the congestion phase, and moist rales are only heard during the resolution phase.

Bronchiectasis: Moist rales are often heard in a fixed location. The sound is relatively shallow and close to the ear. They are coarse and moist rales and can be heard in both the inspiratory and expiratory phases.

Intrapulmonary cavitary lesions: such as chronic fibrocavitary tuberculosis, lung abscess formation, etc., moist rales can be heard locally. Acute bronchitis or acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis: moist rales are mostly at the bases of both lungs, which may decrease or disappear after coughing, and sometimes dry rales can be heard.

Acute left heart failure: The patient's moist rales mainly appear at the end of inspiration. The main feature is that the moist rales change with body position. When lying on the side, the moist rales will increase on the side close to the bed. However, patients with acute left heart failure may also experience dry rales, and it is important to distinguish them from acute asthma attacks.

Interstitial lung disease: Because the lesions occur in the alveoli and interstitium, a special sound similar to moist rales is produced when the lungs expand at the end of inspiration.

The above is an introduction to what moist rales in the lungs mean. Reminder: Since there are many diseases that cause moist rales in the lungs, if parents find that their baby has moist rales in the lungs, they need to take the baby to the hospital for examination as soon as possible to see what specific disease is causing it so that scientific symptomatic treatment can be given.