Perspectives and Management of Atypical Asthma in Chinese Specialists and Primary Care Practitioners-A Nationwide Questionnaire Survey

Background and objective: To evaluate the awareness/knowledge and clinical practice for the treatment of atypical asthma among respiratory specialists and primary care practitioners (PCPs) in China.

Methods: A total number of 1,997 physicians participated in the survey via WeChat. The questionnaire included six main items: physician demographic characteristics, awareness, diagnosis, medical prescription, assessment/education, and proposal.

Results: Cough variant asthma (CVA) was recognized by 97.51% of physicians (1,166 respiratory specialists and 799 PCPs), followed by chest tightness variant asthma (CTVA, 83.72%) and occult asthma (73.54%). Specialists were more likely to follow diagnostic recommendations than PCPs (P < 0.01); however, 34.15% of physicians reported the utility of bronchodilation tests, airway provocation tests, and peak expiratory flow monitoring. A total of 91.70% and 92.01% of physicians prescribed inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) or ICS plus long-acting beta-agonists (LABA) for CVA and CTVA, respectively. Physicians prescribed an ICS or ICS/LABA for 4 (2–8) or 8 (4–12) weeks for CVA and 4 (2–8) or 5 (4–12) weeks for CTVA, and the prescription durations were significantly shorter for PCPs than for specialists (P < 0.01). Further, 52.42% and 35.78% reported good control of CVA and CTVA, respectively, with significantly lower control rates for PCPs than for specialists (P < 0.01). Additionally, specialists exhibited better assessment and educational habits than PCPs.

Conclusion: While atypical asthma was identified by most specialists and PCPs, there remains a gap between management in real clinical practice and guideline recommendations, especially for PCPs. Further training of PCPs and clinical studies of atypical asthma are required to improve practice.

Atypical asthma in children who present with isolated chest tightness: risk factors and clinical features

OBJECTIVE

Asthmatic children presenting with chest tightness as the only symptom have not been widely recognized. This study attempted to find risk factors, summarize clinical features and offer some suggestions for the diagnosis of this atypical asthma.Methods: We studied 94 children, aged 6 to 14 years, who complained only of chest tightness. Data from clinical manifestations and laboratory tests were analyzed. The atypical asthma group (n = 58) showed positive bronchial challenge tests, and symptoms either improved or resolved in response to the bronchodilator. The control group (n = 36) had negative results on the bronchial challenge, diurnal PEF, and BDR tests, and no response to asthma treatment with bronchodilator.Results: Pollution, weather, recent house renovation, and air-conditioning use may be risk factors for children with atypical asthma. These children had more accompanying symptoms of rhinitis and rhinitis family history (P < 0.05), and a higher positive detection rate of inhaled allergens and multiple sensitizations. Parameters of the pulmonary function test were lower in the atypical asthma group than in the control group, and they also had higher FeNO values. If a cutoff value of improvement in FEV1 of BDR were set at 8.9%, sensitivity would be 48.2%, which is higher than a 12% cutoff.Conclusions: Environmental factors appeared to cause development of the isolated chest tightness symptom. Clinical history and laboratory tests could provide partial values for this diagnosis. In the absence of a bronchial challenge test, a margin of improvement in FEV1 of BDR set at 8.9% may be helpful.

Pediatric tracheal tumor masked by a history of travel: case report and literature review

A previously healthy 10-year-old female reported a 1-month history of wheezing and hemoptysis. Initial evaluation and treatment were focused on refractory reactive airway disease and infectious etiologies prompted by her recent travels in Africa. Worsening respiratory distress prompted emergent evaluation with imaging and endoscopy. Bronchoscopy diagnosed a distal tracheal tumor; pathology of this tumor was benign fibrous histiocytoma. Successful management of this condition included imaging, rigid bronchoscopy with biopsy, and tracheal resection to surgically excise the lesion. Although rare, tracheal tumors should be considered when presentation of asthma is atypical and nonresponsive to medical interventions.

Cardiac tamponade presenting as refractory asthma

Asthma has numerous etiologies, and successful treatment requires a proper diagnosis. Changes in weather and exposure to dust can make treatment of asthma difficult. This case exemplifies a diagnostic dilemma associated with bronchospasm; bronchospasm can have an occult cardiac etiology. Diagnosis can be particularly challenging in rural sub-Saharan Africa during the Harmattan, when winds are blowing sands from the Sahara into nearby villages, especially when radiographs are not available. This case is that of a 40-year-old female Ghanaian woman with a lifelong history of asthma. Although she has often had exacerbations of bronchospasm during the dusty Harmattan season, her bronchospasm was now refractory to usual treatments. X-rays were not available at the clinic in the rural city of Tamale, Ghana, and bedside ultrasound was utilized. She was found to have cardiac tamponade with secondary “cardiac asthma.” After 750 cc of fluid was aspirated during a bedside pericardiocentesis, her bronchospasm immediately resolved. The cardiac effusion was due to previously unknown renal failure from hyper-tension. The patient was referred for dialysis and 1 year later was well without any recurrence of significant cardiac effusions. Healthcare providers should be wary of atypical non-pulmonary etiologies of bronchospasm, especially in cases where there is an inadequate response to usual treatment. Bedside ultrasound has great utility for the diagnosis of cardiac tamponade.