HWN Suggests

Exaggerated Sigh Breathing

Every few months, I see a child with difficulty breathing who does not have asthma or another respiratory disorder. They are healthy kids who suddenly develop an odd breathing pattern. The child may or may not have had a cold before the symptom began...

When I ask the child if it happens when he’s running around, he usually says no. When I ask parents if they ever see this when the child is sleeping, the answer is always no. What’s going on?

Exaggerated sigh breathing is also called sighing dyspnea or psychogenic dyspnea. (Dyspnea is the medical word for shortness of breath.) It’s a mild breathing disorder that usually resolves over a few days or weeks. It also recurs in…

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Articles of Interest

Curious Kids: why do we sigh?

Fortunately, there is a solution: the sigh. A sigh is breath that is deeper than usual, so sighs fill your lungs with more air than a normal breath would. This means that any tiny sacks (called alveoli) that are not being used get filled up with lovely air when you sigh. This stops them from collapsing and averts the danger! Hooray!

Sigh Syndrome In Children: A Prospective Study

How common this is in children is unknown. It is important to make the correct diagnosis, which is often one of exclusion. A careful history is the key and allowing enough time is important. Diagnosis of sigh syndrome is mainly clinical 1. In our study, we found that such children had been seen by many doctors before seeing an experienced specialist who is familiar with the relevant condition. Awareness of pediatricians and other attending physicians about this condition is very important to avoid unnecessary investigations.

Sigh syndrome: is it a sign of trouble?

The "sigh syndrome" runs a benign course; it mainly demands the support and understanding of the treating physician to allay any patient concerns.

Sighing Syndrome?

A little over a week ago my almost-6-yo started taking a deep breath a few times a minute, instead of taking smaller breaths constantly. At first I ignored it but then I started to get worried (and it’s driving me nuts!). I did some research and it’s called “sighing syndrome” or “sighing dyspnea” and it seems to be usually harmless.