Update on Clinical Characteristics of Upper Airway Dyspnea: A Mixed Methods Study

Provide a mixed-methods update on clinical presentation of patients with upper airway dyspnea (UAD).

Prospective, multicenter, mixed-methods study.

Data were collected from 30 patients presenting to two tertiary ENT clinics with a chief complaint of dyspnea. Exclusionary criteria included abnormal structural laryngeal findings, uncontrolled pulmonary disorders, and medical conditions affecting breathing. Objective data collected included laryngeal exam findings, patient-reported outcome measures and symptom questionnaires, medications, and psychological diagnoses. Patients were categorized into groups based on the chronic or episodic nature of their dyspnea symptoms for comparison. Qualitative data from these groups were collected and analyzed.

Laryngeal exams revealed the presence of supraglottic constriction at rest was 26.66% and with phonation 83.33%. Ninety-three percent of patients did not show inappropriate vocal fold motion or adduction. Significant correlations were found between Dyspnea Index (DI) scores and other subjective questionnaires including Voice Handicap Index-10 (r = 0.64, P value = 0.001), Eating Assessment Tool-10 (r = 0.50, P value = 0.004), Cough Severity Index (r = 0.47, P value = 0.008), Vocal Cord Dysfunction Questionnaire (r = 0.59, P value = 0.005), and Somatic Symptom Scale-8 (r = 0.41, P value = 0.021). However, no significant correlation was found between the State-Trait Anxiety Index and DI (r = 0.27, P value = 0.1353). Qualitative analyses identified similar, but non-identical themes for both chronic and episodic dyspnea.

Patients with symptoms of UAD also report other abnormal head and neck and global body symptoms. Most patients with complaints of UAD in this study did not have abnormal vocal fold movements on laryngoscopy. There were differences in qualitative analyses between the chronic and episodic dyspnea groups, but no differences in state or trait anxiety.