Question:

Panic and anxiety disorders can cause tightness in the chest, breathing difficulties and the like.  You may want to consult a new dr perhaps a pulmonologist Good luck HTML<PRELaura Southard <A HREF="healthyenvironments.com"Healthy Environments</A Seattle,WA Email or call us for your free catalog<FONT COLOR="#0080ff" BACK="#ff80c0" SIZE=3 http://healthyenvironments.com 800.511.7732 </FONT</FONT<FONT COLOR="#000000" BACK="#FFFFFF" SIZE=3</B</I Healthy Homes and Offices Resources – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Hi folks, I was wondering what other conditions mimic asthma.  My doctor diagnosed me as asthmatic about six months ago, but the meds, Ventolin and Becotide, don’t seem to help very much.  As this doctor has proven in other areas to be totally worthless, I was concerned that maybe i should be looking more closely at my breathing problems and what might cause them. Thanks Kat Visit our web site!  http://www.k-humble.dircon.co.uk/home.htm Stop by our IRC channels on EFNet – #CraftChat and #GingerTabby

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Response:

- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – There are several other conditions that could be the problem.  They would take some testing.  I think that first you should have a Pulmonary Function Test, this would establish if you had asthma or not. Is the PFT the only criteria for asthma?  I have at varying times been told I have 1) mild asthma 2) chronic rhinitis with post nasal drip 3) chronic bronchitis 4) chest x-ray suggestive of early emphysema 5) COPD. Asthma meds help some, allergy shots didn’t do much, nor did claritin, or beconase.  I don’t think I wheeze, but cough so much I ruptured a hernia repair requiring a second surgery.  I see pulmonologist this friday.  So far, chest x-ray and PFT have been done.  Any other ideas? Susan LeBailly Northwestern University

Lung function tests involve measuring lung function before and after administering a bronchodilator. A 15-20% improvement tends to support the asthma diagnosis. If this test is inconclusive, a methacholine challenge test may be recommended. It involves measuring lung function before and after administering methacholine; a 20% decrease in lung function tends to support the asthma diagnosis. See: http://www.ama-assn.org/sci-pubs/journals/archive/inte/vol_157/no_17/… Excerpt: "Interpretation of Positive Results of a Methacholine Inhalation Challenge and 1 Week of Inhaled Bronchodilator Use in Diagnosing and Treating Cough-Variant Asthma Background: In diagnosing cough due to asthma, methacholine chloride inhalation challenge (MIC) interpreted in a traditional fashion has been shown to have positive predictive values from 60% to 82%. Conclusions: No matter how the results are analyzed, positive MIC results,  without observing response to therapy, are only consistent with asthma as  the cause of the cough. The results are only diagnostic of asthma when  they are followed by a favorable response to asthma therapy. After 1 week  of inhaled beta-agonist, only the cough due to cough-variant asthma is  significantly better." Arch Intern Med. 1997;157:1981-1987 Ellis

Response:

Hi, There are several other conditions that could be the problem.  They would take some testing.  I think that first you should have a Pulmonary Function Test, this would establish if you had asthma or not.  

Is the PFT the only criteria for asthma?  I have at varying times been told I have 1) mild asthma 2) chronic rhinitis with post nasal drip 3) chronic bronchitis 4) chest x-ray suggestive of early emphysema 5) COPD. Asthma meds help some, allergy shots didn’t do much, nor did claritin, or beconase.  I don’t think I wheeze, but cough so much I ruptured a hernia repair requiring a second surgery.  I see pulmonologist this friday.  So far, chest x-ray and PFT have been done.  Any other ideas? — Susan LeBailly Northwestern University

Response:

I was wondering what other conditions mimic asthma.  My doctor diagnosed me as asthmatic about six months ago, but the meds, Ventolin and Becotide, don’t seem to help very much.  As this doctor has proven in other areas to be totally worthless, I was concerned that maybe i should be looking more closely at my breathing problems and what might cause them. Kat

Here’s a link: http://www.e-asthma.com/news9.htm ASTHMA TODAY NEWSLETTER Excerpt: "NOT ALL WHEEZING IS FROM ASTHMA           15 June Wheezing is the most prominent sign of asthma. Many physicians still wait for wheezing before making a diagnosis of asthma. However, not all wheezing is from asthma. There are many other causes of wheezing. If your wheezing is persistent and not getting better from the asthma medications, you should discuss it with your clinician. A chest X-ray is the first and most important test that should be requested. Your clinician should consider the following conditions:                   1. Pulmonary edema                   2. Bronchiectasis                   3. Cystic Fibrosis                   4. Chronic bronchitis                   5. Extrensic allergic alveolitis                   6. COPD                   7. Asthma                   8. Stenosis, bronchial carcinoma                   9. Sarcoidosis,  TB                   10. Foreign body aspiration                   11. Vocal cord dysfunction                   12. Laryngeal or tracheal tumor                   13. Tracheo-malacia                   14. Infections such as croup, laryngitis                   15. Acute traceho-bronchitis                   16. Pertussis or whooping cough If you re not improving on standard asthma medications and wheezing is persistent especially on one side, you and your clinician should wonder whether you have another condition and not asthma." Ellis

Response:

Oh wow!  I had no idea so many things could mimic Asthma.  Scary scary scary.  The second I find a decent doctor (very hard to do in this area) I will ask for a chest X ray and that Pulmonary Function test. Thanks for all the advice folks kat Visit our web site!  http://www.k-humble.dircon.co.uk/home.htm     Stop by our IRC channels on EFNet – #CraftChat and #GingerTabby

Response:

Hi, There are several other conditions that could be the problem.  They would take some testing.  I think that first you should have a Pulmonary Function Test, this would establish if you had asthma or not.  Other possibilities could be Vocal Cord Dysfunction, in which National Jewish Hospital and Research Center has the most information.  Perhaps the breathing problems could be associated with Gastro-esophalgeal Reflux (heartburn), or something like bronchitis or a lung infection.  I hope this helps.  I have serious doubts about doctors who just put people on medication without the necessary test to diagnosis.  Take Care and let us know.  Pam.

Response:

Hi folks, I was wondering what other conditions mimic asthma.  My doctor diagnosed me as asthmatic about six months ago, but the meds, Ventolin and Becotide, don’t seem to help very much.  As this doctor has proven in other areas to be totally worthless, I was concerned that maybe i should be looking more closely at my breathing problems and what might cause them.

Actually ther are a lot of things that can mimic asthma.  Hyperventilation syndrome, vocal cord disorder, broncitis, reflux, etc. Your best bet would be to ask for a referral to a pulmonoglist.

Response:

Hi folks, I was wondering what other conditions mimic asthma.  My doctor diagnosed me as asthmatic about six months ago, but the meds, Ventolin and Becotide, don’t seem to help very much.  As this doctor has proven in other areas to be totally worthless, I was concerned that maybe i should be looking more closely at my breathing problems and what might cause them. Thanks Kat Visit our web site!  http://www.k-humble.dircon.co.uk/home.htm     Stop by our IRC channels on EFNet – #CraftChat and #GingerTabby

Response:

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