Diagnosis of wheezing in children is mainly based on a thorough clinical examination of the chest and lungs. If the clinical diagnosis is unclear, the doctor will order other imaging tests, tests or endoscopy to determine and rule out the causes.

Wheezing in infants and children < 5 years of age is very common. Over 30% of children under 3 years of age have at least one episode of wheezing, and about 50% of children under 5 years of age have at least one episode of wheezing. About half of children who have wheezing onset before age 3 will not have a recurrence by age 6.