Non-asthmatic respiratory symptomatology

Inlet patch of gastric mucosa in upper esophagus causing chronic cough and vocal cord dysfunction

BACKGROUND

An inlet patch of gastric mucosa in the upper esophagus is usually an incidental, congenital finding found during upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy. Although it has been reported to cause dysphagia, strictures, adenocarcinoma, and webs, it has never been associated with cough and vocal cord dysfunction.

OBJECTIVE

To report the first case of a patient with an inlet patch of gastric mucosa in the upper esophagus as the cause of a particularly troublesome, chronic cough that was initially missed on 2 upper endoscopies.

METHODS

The patient is a 50-year-old man with a 7-year history of chronic cough associated with hoarseness, shortness of breath, and globus sensation. For diagnostic evaluation, pulmonary function tests, chest computed tomography, rhinolaryngoscopy, upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopy, and histologic examinations were performed.

RESULTS

A multidisciplinary approach revealed several possible causes for the chronic cough, including vocal cord dysfunction, postnasal drip syndrome, allergic rhinitis, and mild gastroesophageal reflux disease that was only partially responsive to therapy. The results of 2 initial upper gastrointestinal tract endoscopies were interpreted as normal. A third endoscopy detected an inlet patch of gastric mucosa in the upper esophagus. Treatment with a high-dose histamine type 2 receptor antagonist and a proton pump inhibitor alleviated the patient's symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

An inlet patch of gastric mucosa in the upper esophagus is not uncommon, but it is often overlooked or believed to be an incidental, congenital finding. This is the first report, to our knowledge, of an inlet patch resulting in a troublesome, chronic cough.

Breathing retraining for dysfunctional breathing in asthma: a randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND

Functional breathing disorders may complicate asthma and impair quality of life. This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of physiotherapy based breathing retraining for patients treated for asthma in the community who have symptoms suggestive of dysfunctional breathing.

METHODS

33 adult patients aged 17-65 with diagnosed and currently treated asthma and Nijmegen questionnaire scores > or =23 were recruited to a randomised controlled trial comparing short physiotherapy breathing retraining and an asthma nurse education control. The main outcome measures were asthma specific health status (Asthma Quality of Life questionnaire) and Nijmegen questionnaire scores

RESULTS

Of the 33 who entered the study, data were available on 31 after 1 month and 28 at 6 months. The median (interquartile range) changes in overall asthma quality of life score at 1 month were 0.6 (0.05-1.12) and 0.09 (-0.25-0.26) for the breathing retraining and education groups, respectively (p=0.018), 0.42 (0.11-1.17) and 0.09 (-0.58-0.5) for the symptoms domain (p=0.042), 0.52 (0.09-1.25) and 0 (-0.45-0.45) for the activities domain (p=0.007), and 0.50 (0-1.50) and -0.25 (-0.75-0.75) for the environment domain (p=0.018). Only the change in the activities domain remained significant at 6 months (0.83 (-0.10-1.71) and -0.05 (-0.74-0.34), p=0.018), although trends to improvement were seen in the overall score (p=0.065), the symptoms domain (p=0.059), and the environment domain (p=0.065). There was a correlation between changes in quality of life scores and Nijmegen questionnaire scores at 1 month and at 6 months. The number needed to treat to produce a clinically important improvement in health status was 1.96 and 3.57 at 1 and 6 months.

CONCLUSION

Over half the patients treated for asthma in the community who have symptoms suggestive of dysfunctional breathing show a clinically relevant improvement in quality of life following a brief physiotherapy intervention. This improvement is maintained in over 25% 6 months after the intervention.

A study of the association between exercise-induced wheeze and exercise versus methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction in adolescents

Among asthmatics, exercise-induced wheeze (EIW) is a frequent symptom, and 40-77% of asthmatics demonstrate exercise-induced bronchoconstriction (EIB). In the North-Trøndelag population-based survey of 8,571 adolescents (YOUNG-HUNT), 26% reported wheeze during the previous 12 months (current wheeze). Of those subjects, 50% reported EIW. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between EIW and EIB in randomly selected adolescents with EIW as the only or predominant asthma-like symptom, and to relate our findings to results from methacholine bronchoprovocation tests (MT) and measurements of exhaled nitric oxide (ENO). Sixty-three subjects with current wheeze induced by exercise, but not by allergen exposure, were investigated using a treadmill exercise test (ET) and measurements of ENO. Fifty-eight subjects completed a MT on a separate study day. EIB was defined as a fall of >or= 10% in the forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) after exercise (DeltaFEV1%ex). Twenty-one subjects (33%) had EIB and 33 (57%) had a positive MT. The degree of reported dyspnea during the ET was not correlated to the DeltaFEV1%ex. The correlation between EIB and methacholine-induced bronchoconstriction (MIB) was poor, and the DeltaFEV1%ex was more pronounced in smokers than in non-smokers. Moreover, ENO was not increased in subjects with positive vs. negative ET. Hence, EIW, when reported as the only or predominant asthma-like symptom, was linked to EIB in only one-third of the patients. We conclude that EIW is a poor predictor of EIB in epidemiological studies. The poor correlation between EIB and MIB indicates that these two tests measure different mechanisms of bronchial hyper-responsiveness.

Wheezing and vocal cord dysfunction mimicking asthma

Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is a respiratory disorder characterized by paradoxical closure of the vocal cords during the respiratory cycle leading to obstructive airway symptoms. The presenting symptoms vary from stridor to wheezing. VCD may coexist with asthma or masquerade as asthma. Misdiagnosis of VCD as asthma leads to inappropriate use of systemic steroids with its adverse effects, frequent emergency department visits, hospitalization, and, rarely, intubation and tracheostomy. Attenuation of the inspiratory flow volume loop on spirometry is suggestive of VCD. Laryngoscopic demonstration of the paradoxical vocal cord movements during an acute attack is the gold standard for the diagnosis of VCD. Patient education, speech therapy, and psychologic counseling are the therapeutic tools for treatment.