Medicus, Vol. 30 No. 2 Astma i KOPB, 2021.
Review article
Is that asthma or something else?
Edin Jusufović
Abstract
The prevalence of asthma in adults varies widely around the world, ranging from 0.2% to 21.0%. Population-based studies suggest that from 20% to 70% of people with asthma in the community remain undiagnosed. On the opposite side of the spectrum, 30–35% of adults and children diagnosed with asthma do not have current asthma. Overdiagnosis of current asthma can occur due to various reasons: 1. Physicians’ failure to confirm airflow limitation; 2. New signs and symptoms in patients with long-term clinical remission of previous asthma; 3. Alternative diagnoses that mimic signs and symptoms of asthma. The most common differential diagnosis of asthma in adults is vocal cord dysfunction, airflow obstruction (e.g. tumors and foreign bodies), congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), chronic sinusitis and infection of upper airways. The consequences of the overdiagnosis of asthma are: 1. Not diagnosing and treating the actual disease; 2. Prolonged use of medication for asthma treatment in patients without asthma leads to the occurrence of adverse effects and complications caused by medication; 3. Unnecessary costs of treatment or increased insurance rates.
Keywords
asthma; overdiagnosis; differential diagnosis
Hrčak ID:
264147
URI
Publication date:
18.10.2021.
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