Life-threatening idiopathic subglottic stenosis misdiagnosed as asthma

Abstract

Background: Subglottic stenosis (SGS) is the obstruction of the central airway in the region bounded superiorly by a plane below the glottis and inferiorly by the first two tracheal rings. Causes of subglottic stenosis can be congenital, acquired, or idiopathic. We present a case of possible post infectious subglottic stenosis. Case report: A 26-year-old woman was admitted to the hospital due to worsening of dyspnea for 3 years. She was initially diagnosed with asthma, but asthma medication did not have an effect. She had an endoscopic bronchoscopy that revealed a subglottic stenosis and a few hours after the bronchoscopy the patient developed stridor and was hurried to surgery. Conclusions: Subglottic stenosis is a rare condition and is possible misdiagnosed as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Early and correct diagnosis is essential to reduce morbidity and mortality. Diagnosis of SGS is endoscopic laryngoscopy/bronchoscopy or CT scan.

Keywords

• Dyspnea
• stridor
• subglottic stenosis
• asthma
• idiopathic tracheal stenosis