Misdiagnosis of respiratory dyskinesia

Respiratory dyskinesia consists of involuntary movements of the respiratory musculature and manifests as irregular respiratory rate, tachypnoea and grunting. It is probably an underrecognized condition and hence is easily misdiagnosed. Two patients with respiratory dyskinesia are reported. One patient was misdiagnosed as suffering from generalized anxiety disorder and the second as having chronic obstructive airway disease. Features useful for clinical differentiation are discussed.