What Causes Random Choking And Gasping For Breath?

Posted on Sat, 26 Sep 2015

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Sat, 26 Sep 2015 Answered on

Mon, 19 Oct 2015 Last reviewed on

Question : twice recently out of nowhere i swallowed and started choking and gasping for air like if you say it went down the wrong pipe. but i wasn't eating or drinking at the time.

Answered by Dr. Grzegorz Stanko (1 hour later)

Brief Answer:
If you smoke, this should be checked.

Detailed Answer:
Hello!

Thank you for the query.

Sometimes just saliva is enough to greatly irritate trachea and cause sudden bout of coughing. So not just food or drink can cause such problem.
If you smoke, such strange symptom can be a sign of some airwaves problem. Therefore you should consult laryngologist and pulumunologist and make sure there is no other problem present.

Hope this will help. Feel free to ask further questions.
Regards.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar