An undiagnosed cause of chronic cough

• Main Authors: Ketan Malvi, Arjun Padmanabhan, T A Hari
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Wolters Kluwer Medknow Publications 2015-01-01
• Series: Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care
• Subjects: Chronic cough; tracheomalacia; undiagnosed cause
• Online Access: http://www.jfmpc.com/article.asp?issn=2249-4863;year=2015;volume=4;issue=4;spage=598;epage=600;aulast=Malvi

Tracheomalacia (TM) refers to loss of tracheal rigidity and resulting susceptibility to collapse. It is usually an incidental finding during investigations of other illness. The main symptoms are dyspnoea, cough, sputum production and hemoptysis. Most cases are considered as respiratory infection and are treated symptomatically. Acquired TM results from damage to trachea due to various conditions such as inflammation, chronic pressure, or medical/surgical procedures. The diagnosis is done by end-expiratory dynamic tracheal imaging, which demonstrates typical crescentric narrowing of trachea and reduced antero-posterior diameter <50% of normal. Management include conservative measures like cough suppressants or surgical measures like tracheoplasty, stenting or surgical repair. We are reporting a case of chronic cough, which was subsequently diagnosed as TM.