Abstract
The airway of a child can be easily obstructed because of its small size and there are myriad conditions that may obstruct it. Though asthma is the most common condition causing reversible obstruction of the airway; there are a large number of conditions which can obstruct the airway both reversibly and irreversibly. These asthma mimics can present as clinical problems from the neonatal period through adolescence. This article presents an overview of the clinical situations that must be kept in mind when the child presents with subtly unusual clinical features or a deviant course. This is followed by a brief description of the common mimickers along with clinical clues to their diagnosis. Clinicians will need a high index of suspicion for diagnosing these conditions. Prompt recognition and optimal case management and referral will ensure the best outcomes in these children.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Rosenthal M. Differential diagnosis of asthma. Paediatr Respir Rev [Internet]. 2002;3:148–53. Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/science/article/pii/S1526055002000082. Accessed 14 May 2017.
SIGN 153 @BULLET British Guideline on the Management of Asthma. 2016. Available at: https://www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/document-library/clinical-information/asthma/btssign-asthma-guideline-2016/. Accessed 10 July 2017.
Yu L, Xu X, Lv H, Qiu Z. Advances in upper airway cough syndrome. Kaohsiung J Med Sci [Internet]. 2015;31:223–8. Available at: http://ac.els-cdn.com/S1607551X15000212/1-s2.0-S1607551X15000212-main.pdf?_tid=fdd0806a-5ebd-11e7-a14d-00000aab0f27&acdnat=1498955756_c22b865ec4ebe84bb7fb0b86de500ac6. Accessed 2 July 2017.
Mirra V, Werner C, Santamaria F. Primary ciliary dyskinesia: an update on clinical aspects, genetics, diagnosis, and future treatment strategies. Front Pediatr [Internet]. 2017;5:135. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28649564. Accessed 2 July 2017.
Fraga JC, Jennings RW, Kim PCW. Pediatric tracheomalacia. 2016. Available at: http://ac.els-cdn.com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/S1055858616000226/1-s2.0-S1055858616000226-main.pdf?_tid=8f40d73c-60aa-11e7-9ee2-00000aacb35e&acdnat=1499167312_20913955a6c774e446aabf1d84316524. Accessed 4 July 2017.
Fischer GB, Sarria EE, Mattiello R, Mocelin HT, Castro-Rodriguez JA. Post infectious bronchiolitis obliterans in children. Available at: http://ac.els-cdn.com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/S1526054210000643/1-s2.0-S1526054210000643-main.pdf?_tid=988a8834-60b3-11e7-bf1f-00000aacb35d&acdnat=1499171193_d1ee5d982239a0900c71ea77c4659daf. Accessed 4 July 2017.
Amundson D, Seda G, Daheshia M. Recognizing asthma mimics and asthma complications. Mil Med [Internet]. 2011;176:1162–8. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22128653. Accessed 2 April 2017.
Randolph C. Pediatric exercise-induced bronchoconstriction: contemporary developments in epidemiology, pathogenesis, presentation, diagnosis, and therapy. Available at: https://link-springer-com.libproxy1.nus.edu.sg/content/pdf/10.1007%2Fs11882-013-0380-x.pdf. Accessed 5 July 2017.
Baris SA, Onyilmaz T, Basyigit I, Boyaci H. Endobronchial tuberculosis mimicking asthma. Tuberc Res Treat [Internet]. 2015;2015:1–3. Available at: http://www.hindawi.com/journals/trt/2015/781842/.
King CS, Moores LK. Clinical asthma syndromes and important asthma mimics. Respir Care [Internet]. 2008;53:568–80–2. Available at: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/18426611. Accessed 2nd April 2017.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of Interest
None.
Source of Funding
None.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Ramamurthy, M.B. Asthma Mimickers: Approach to Differential Diagnosis. Indian J Pediatr 85, 667–672 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-017-2558-z
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12098-017-2558-z