Rhonchi are low-pitched, snoring, or gurgling breath sounds heard in the lungs, indicating a blockage or secretions (like mucus) in the larger airways (bronchi). These sounds often change or clear after coughing, as the cough moves the mucus, and are associated with conditions like pneumonia, chronic bronchitis, or cystic fibrosis.
Sonorous Wheezes (Rhonchi)
Sonorous wheezes are caused by blockages to the main airways by mucous secretions, lesions or foreign bodies. Pneumonia, chronic bronchitis and cystic fibrosis are conditions that commonly present with rhonchi. Coughing can sometimes temporarily clear this breath sound and alter its quality.
Rhonchi are low-pitched wheezes or snore-like sounds that can be heard with a stethoscope. Their presence means an obstruction or an increased amount of secretions is in the airways. Rhonchi can be caused by pneumonia, cystic fibrosis, or COPD.
The mucus that builds up in your lungs when you have chronic bronchitis can lead to rhonchi, a low-pitched sound like snoring. This sound often goes away for a while when you cough and clear the excess mucus in your lungs.
The sound is sometimes described as snoring or gurgling. It's sometimes called “sonorous rhonchus.”
If you have bronchitis, to help you feel better, you may want to try the following self-care measures:
Wheezes are musical high-pitched sounds associated with airway diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Rhonchi are musical low-pitched sounds similar to snores, usually indicating secretions in the airway, and are often cleared by coughing1.
Mild wheezing that occurs along with symptoms of a cold or upper respiratory infection does not always need to be treated. See a healthcare professional if you don't know why you're wheezing, your wheezing keeps coming back or it happens along with any of these symptoms: Trouble breathing. Rapid breathing.
It is the long-term inflammation in the bronchi. Its options for treatment include smoking cessation, inhalers, oxygen tanks, steroids, or surgery.
Your doctor will listen to your lungs with a stethoscope. If you have pneumonia, your lungs may make crackling, bubbling, and rumbling sounds when you inhale.
Clinicians report COVID-19 patients having normal BS as well as coarse crackles, rhonchi and less frequently wheezing [16].
Rhonchi are low-pitched, snoring sounds caused by airway blockage. In CHF patients, these sounds happen during breathing in and out. They show a lot of fluid in the airways.
Pulmonary fibrosis is a rare lung disease that causes irreversible scarring of the lungs, which can cause shortness of breath and a persistent cough, and progressively gets worse over time.
Diagnosing bronchitis
Your health care provider will listen to your chest with a stethoscope to try to detect wheezing and sounds of airways clogged with mucous called rhonchi.
Most common early warning symptoms:
Rhonchi can indicate the presence of mucus, fluid, or other obstructions, and often are associated with conditions like chronic bronchitis, pneumonia, or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
Acute bronchitis usually gets better on its own—without antibiotics. Antibiotics won't help you get better if you have acute bronchitis. When antibiotics aren't needed, they won't help you, and the side effects could still cause harm.
Most people get over bronchitis in about two weeks, but it might take as long as three to six weeks. You can manage your symptoms at home with over-the-counter medicines while you get better. If you don't feel better after three weeks, see your healthcare provider.
The main symptoms are:
Ask for an urgent GP appointment or get help from NHS 111 if:
Rhonchi Lung Sounds
These sounds happen because your larger airways are narrowed by mucus, and they flutter as air flows through. Wheezing and rhonchi have a similar cause (narrowed airways usually due to fluid buildup), so the causes are mostly the same. For instance, rhonchi is often caused by: Pneumonia.
Doctors usually diagnose walking pneumonia by doing an exam. They'll check a child's breathing and listen for a crackling sound that often indicates walking pneumonia. If needed, they might order a chest X-ray or tests of mucus samples from the child's throat or nose to confirm the diagnosis.
The appearance of pulmonary crackles (rales), defined as discontinuous, interrupted, explosive respiratory sounds during inspiration, is one of the most important signs of heart failure deterioration.
The four stages of COPD (Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease) are Mild, Moderate, Severe, and Very Severe, categorized by worsening airflow limitation, increased symptoms like breathlessness and cough, and greater impact on daily activities, often determined by lung function tests (spirometry) and flare-up frequency, per the GOLD criteria.