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Medical Author:

Dennis Lee, MD

Dennis Lee, MD

Dr. Lee was born in Shanghai, China, and received his college and medical training in the United States. He is fluent in English and three Chinese dialects. He graduated with chemistry departmental honors from Harvey Mudd College. He was appointed president of AOA society at UCLA School of Medicine. He underwent internal medicine residency and gastroenterology fellowship training at Cedars Sinai Medical Center.

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Medical Author:

George Schiffman, MD, FCCP

George Schiffman, MD, FCCP

Dr. Schiffman received his B.S. degree with High Honors in biology from Hobart College in 1976. He then moved to Chicago where he studied biochemistry at the University of Illinois, Chicago Circle. He attended Rush Medical College where he received his M.D. degree in 1982 and was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Honor Society. He completed his Internal Medicine internship and residency at the University of California, Irvine.

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Medical Editor:

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD

Jay W. Marks, MD, is a board-certified internist and gastroenterologist. He graduated from Yale University School of Medicine and trained in internal medicine and gastroenterology at UCLA/Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.

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Medical Editor:

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

William C. Shiel Jr., MD, FACP, FACR

Dr. Shiel received a Bachelor of Science degree with honors from the University of Notre Dame. There he was involved in research in radiation biology and received the Huisking Scholarship. After graduating from St. Louis University School of Medicine, he completed his Internal Medicine residency and Rheumatology fellowship at the University of California, Irvine. He is board-certified in Internal Medicine and Rheumatology.

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In this Article

• Unusual symptoms of asthma
• Can a cough without wheezing be due to asthma?
• Nocturnal asthma
• Masqueraders of asthma
• Cardiac asthma
• Other bronchial conditions
• Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD)
• Other hypersensitivity reactions
• Exercise and sports
• Exercise induced asthma (EIA)
• What causes exercise induced asthma?
• What sports are best suited for exercise induced asthma? What sports are not?
• Ways to prevent and treat exercise induced asthma
• Conditions that may worsen asthma
• Gastroesophageal reflex disease
• The allergic rhinitis-asthma connection
• Sinusitis and asthma
• Air pollution
• Food allergy
• Asthma Complexities At A Glance
• Find a local Asthma & Allergy Specialist in your town
• Asthma Complexities Index

Vocal cord dysfunction is an episodic condition involving sudden closure of the voice box (larynx) as a result of the two vocal cords sticking together. The symptoms of vocal-cord dysfunction are the sudden onset of difficulty breathing and talking, panic, and a shrill sound much like the sound made by a child suffering from croup. Vocal cord dysfunction often is misdiagnosed and treated as asthma because both conditions may have symptoms of wheezing; however, with vocal-cord dysfunction, wheezing usually occurs during inspiration (breathing in), while with asthma, wheezing occurs during expiration (breathing out). Medications used for treating asthma are not effective for treating vocal-cord dysfunction.

Since a correct diagnosis of vocal-cord dysfunction can be difficult, affected people may have repeated episodes that are inappropriately treated as attacks of asthma. The diagnosis often requires a careful, direct inspection of the vocal cords, typically by an ear, nose, and throat specialist. The attacks of vocal-cord dysfunction usually resolve spontaneously (on their own). Occasionally, however, a tracheotomy tube needs to be inserted to prevent the obstruction and problems with breathing. Vocal-cord dysfunction often is associated with acute panic or anxiety attacks that require antianxiety medications, speech therapy, and psychotherapy in order to prevent episodes. Other terms often used for vocal-cord dysfunction include spastic dysphonia and globus hystericus.

Inhaled mold spores and particles from bird droppings and feathers (such as from parrots) can cause hypersensitivity (allergic) reactions in the bronchial tubes and the lungs. For example, when Aspergillus fungal spores cause an allergic reaction in the bronchial tubes, the condition is called allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis. Affected individuals have both asthma and bronchiectasis which require treatment with both bronchodilators and corticosteroids over a prolonged period of time. When the lung tissues develop an allergic reaction to inhaled bacteria, fungi, or bird particles, the condition is called hypersensitivity pneumonitis (HP). HP is differentiated from acute asthma by the lack of wheezing, the presence of a fever, and the pattern of pneumonia on the chest X-ray. HP is treated by avoiding the allergens and administering corticosteroids.