Table 1.

Masqueraders of asthma: categories of lung disease to consider in the differential diagnosis, with examples

Dysfunctional breathing

Vocal cord dysfunction

Panic attacks

Anatomic

Tracheobronchomalacia

Tracheoesophageal fistula

Central airway compression or obstruction (e.g., vascular rings, mediastinal mass)

Suppurative lung diseases

Cystic fibrosis

Primary ciliary dyskinesia

Bronchiectasis

Protracted bacterial bronchitis

Interstitial lung disease

Bronchiolitis obliterans

Bronchopulmonary dysplasia

Immune dysfunction/rheumatologic disorders

Hypogammaglobulinemia

Eosinophilic granulomatosis with polyangiitis

Connective tissue disease

Other

Foreign body aspiration

Chronic aspiration

Congenital heart disease