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Updated: Dec 22, 2025
Asthma Detection Research Based on Voice Signal Processing and Machine Learning
Published on: July 22, 2025
Soft stethoscope for detecting asthma wheeze in young children
Chun Yu1, Tzu-Hsiu Tsai, Shi-Ing Huang
1Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University, No.1, Sec.4, Roosevelt Road, Taipei 106, Taiwan.
Insights
This study developed a home-use wheeze detection system for children with asthma. The system, using a soft stethoscope and the Adaptive Respiratory Spectrum Correlation Coefficient (RSACC) algorithm, accurately detects wheezing, improving asthma management for young children.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Biomedical Engineering
- Respiratory Medicine
Background:
- Asthma significantly impacts children's quality of life.
- Effective asthma management requires monitoring symptoms and attack frequency.
- Current monitoring methods are inconvenient, especially for young children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop a convenient, home-use wheeze detection system for pediatric asthma.
- To evaluate the efficacy of the Adaptive Respiratory Spectrum Correlation Coefficient (RSACC) algorithm for wheeze detection.
- To provide parents with a tool for managing their child's asthma.
Main Methods:
- Utilized a small, soft stethoscope for respiratory sound collection.
- Employed the Adaptive Respiratory Spectrum Correlation Coefficient (RSACC) algorithm for wheeze detection.
- Analyzed 59 sound files from eight children aged one to seven years.
Main Results:
- The system demonstrated 88% sensitivity in wheeze detection.
- The system achieved 94% specificity in wheeze detection.
- The system's effectiveness was not impacted by noisy environments.
Conclusions:
- The developed system is suitable for home use by parents to monitor pediatric asthma.
- The small, soft stethoscope is easily applicable to young children.
- The RSACC algorithm offers high accuracy and low computational requirements for wheeze detection.
Abstract:
Asthma is a chronic disease that is commonly suffered by children. Asthmatic children have a lower quality of life than other children. Physicians and pediatricians recommend that parents record the frequency of attacks and their symptoms to help manage their children's asthma. However, the lack of a convenient device for monitoring the asthmatic condition leads to the difficulties in managing it, especially when it is suffered by young children. This work develops a wheeze detection system for use at home. A small and soft stethoscope was used to collect the respiratory sound. The wheeze detection algorithm was the Adaptive Respiratory Spectrum Correlation Coefficient (RSACC) algorithm, which has the advantages of high sensitivity/specificity and a low computational requirement. Fifty-nine sound files from eight young children (one to seven years old) were collected in the emergency room and analyzed. The results revealed that the system provided 88% sensitivity and 94% specificity in wheeze detection. In conclusion, this small soft stethoscope can be easily used on young children. A noisy environment does not affect the effectiveness of the system in detecting wheeze. Hence, the system can be used at home by parents who wish to evaluate and manage the asthmatic condition of their children.
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