Asthma attack or VCD?
Categories: Toddlers, Preschoolers, Teens & tweens, Health & safety
A new study indicates many children with breathing difficulties are being misdiagnosed with asthma when they are actually suffering from vocal cord dysfunction (VCD). This should be of great interest to parents and medical providers alike, as the treatments for the two are completely different.
In an asthma attack, the airways in the lungs narrow and the muscles around them tightly contract. The membranes lining the inner walls of the airways become swollen and inflamed, and the glands within these walls produce excess mucus. Steroids and inhaled medication are essential to controlling an asthma attack.
A person with VCD has vocal cords that spasm and remain closed during inhalation instead of separating to allow air in and out of the windpipe and down to the lungs. This creates an obstruction in the throat that makes breathing difficult. VCD can be controlled through speech therapy, massage, relaxation techniques, and botox injections to relax the muscles.
The cause of VCD isn't known, but the spasms can be brought on by stress, post nasal drip, gastroesophageal reflux (backward flow of stomach acids into the esophagus), shouting, singing, exposure to tobacco smoke, strenuous exercise, and exposure to chemical fumes.
While questioning a doctor might be the last thing on your mind as you're watching your child struggle for air, asking if they've considered VCD could save your child an unnecessary medications and a hospital stay.
A simple breathing test called spirometry can tell doctors the difference between an asthma attack and VCD.
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