Misdiagnosis asthma in adult, three rare causes

All that wheezes is not asthma. Although, asthma is the most common cause of wheeze and cough in children and adults, it is often attributed inappropriately to these symptoms from other causes.

We illustrate through this manuscript three rare causes of wheeze in adults, misdiagnosis as asthma.

The three reported cases were misdiagnosed as difficult-to-treat asthma. They were found as mimicking asthma. Final diagnoses were localized tracheobronchial amyloidosis, aortic arch anomalies, and idiopathic chronic eosinophilic pneumonia.

Although asthma is a common cause of various respiratory symptoms, all that coughs and wheezes is not asthma. So before retaining the severe asthma diagnosis, we have to exclude various differential diagnoses, even the rarest ones. Several diagnostic tests have to be done to have the appropriate diagnosis.