Vocal cord dysfunction diagnosis may be improved by a screening check list

Area of Science:

• Pulmonology
• Otolaryngology

Background:

• Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is often misdiagnosed as difficult-to-control asthma, leading to inappropriate treatments.
• A validated clinical screening checklist can aid in the diagnosis of VCD.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and validate a clinical screening checklist for diagnosing vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) in patients with severe asthma.

Main Methods:

• A prospective observational study included 80 adult severe asthma patients.
• Physicians used a 6-question checklist to screen for VCD.
• Patients underwent spirometry and laryngoscopy for diagnosis.

Main Results:

• The question regarding cervical wheezing/stridor was significantly more frequent in the VCD group (P=0.006).
• Four or more affirmative checklist answers were more common in VCD and unconfirmed VCD groups (P=0.022).

Conclusions:

• Cervical wheezing/stridor suggests VCD, particularly in elderly patients, confirmed by laryngoscopy.
• The developed VCD screening checklist is effective for identifying VCD in severe asthma patients.