Not all wheezing is asthma. Case report

A fifty six year old woman with history of asthma visited a respiratory specialist. She had been diagnosed with asthma more than a year previously in a primary care clinic. She was treated with inhaled medications without good response. A respiratory specialist diagnosed tracheal narrowing secondary to thyroid enlargement that was pushing the trachea together. She was cured with a thyroid operation. Discussed are differential diagnosis of asthma and causes of airway narrowing and the importance of spirometry in diagnosing asthma. case report, asthma, airway narrowing, spirometry.