Which disorder causes the airways to swell and narrow, producing wheezing?

• A. Atelectasis
• B. Asthma
• C. Bronchitis
• D. Tachypnea

Answer: (B)

Airway inflammation with bronchoconstriction that is often reversible best fits asthma. In asthma, the airways become swollen and the smooth muscle surrounding them tightens, narrowing the passages and producing wheezing as air moves through the constricted tubes. Triggers like allergens, exercise, cold air, or irritants can provoke these episodes, which often include coughing and shortness of breath and tend to improve with bronchodilators and anti-inflammatory treatment.

Atelectasis involves collapse of lung tissue and typically presents with reduced or absent breath sounds and dullness to percussion, not episodic wheezing. Bronchitis features inflammation and mucus production in the airways and can cause coughing and sometimes wheeze, but it’s not defined by the reversible airway hyperreactivity that characterizes asthma. Tachypnea is simply rapid breathing, a symptom rather than a disease, and it doesn’t explain the specific wheezing.