Ground zero: not asthma at all. Issue 6 (September 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: de Benedictis, Fernando Maria; de Benedictis, Diletta; Mirabile, Lorenzo; Pozzi, Marco; Guerrieri, Arcangela; Di Pillo, Sabrina
• Is Part Of: Pediatric allergy and immunology. Volume 26:Issue 6(2015)
• Page Start: 490
• Page End: 496
• Publication Date: 2015-09
• Subjects: Allergy in children -- Periodicals; Immunologic diseases in children -- Periodicals; 617
• DOI: 10.1111/pai.12421
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0905-6157

Abstract

<abstract abstract-type="main" id="pai12421-abs-0001"> <title>Abstract</title> <p>Upper airway obstruction is commonly misdiagnosed as asthma. We report on four children with recurrent respiratory symptoms who had been erroneously diagnosed as having asthma and who received anti‐asthma medication for several years. The evaluation of spirometry tracing was neglected in all cases. Subglottic stenosis, tracheomalacia secondary to tracheo‐esophageal fistula, double aortic arch, and vocal cord dysfunction were suspected by direct inspection of the flow–volume curves and eventually diagnosed. The value of clinical history and careful evaluation of spirometry tracing in children with persistent respiratory symptoms is critically discussed.</p> </abstract>