Final answer:
Abnormal lung sounds can indicate respiratory conditions like asthma, pneumonia, and croup. Wheezing is a high-pitched sound caused by narrowed airways, rales are crackling sounds associated with fluid in the lungs, and stridor is a harsh noise caused by an upper airway obstruction.
Step-by-step explanation:
In medicine, abnormal lung sounds can indicate various respiratory conditions. Wheezing, for example, is a high-pitched whistling sound that occurs when the airways are narrowed, typically due to conditions like asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Rales, or crackling sounds, are often heard when there is fluid in the lungs, such as in pneumonia. Stridor, on the other hand, is a harsh, vibrating noise that occurs when there is an obstruction in the upper airway, such as in croup or foreign body aspiration.