HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Permissions Request Permissions Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in ISI Web of Science Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Achouh, L. Articles by Humbert, M. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Achouh, L. Articles by Humbert, M.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension masquerading as severe refractory asthma

¹ Université Paris-Sud 11, Centre National de Référence de L'Hypertension Artérielle Pulmonaire, Service de Pneumologie et Réanimation Respiratoire, Hôpital Antoine-Béclère, Clamart, and ² Université Paris-Sud 11, Service de Chirurgie Thoracique, Centre Chirurgical Marie-Lannelongue, Le Plessis-Robinson, France.

CORRESPONDENCE: M. Humbert, Service de Pneumologie et Réanimation Respiratoire, Hôpital Antoine-Béclère, 157 rue de la Porte de Trivaux, 92140 Clamart, , France. Fax: 33 146303824. E-mail: marc.humbert{at}abc.aphp.fr

Keywords: Asthma, compression of the mainstem bronchi, congenital heart diseases, obstructive airway disease, Ortner's syndrome, pulmonary arterial hypertension

Received: January 13, 2008
Accepted March 28, 2008

Once the diagnosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension is established, wheezing and chronic cough are rarely described during the course of the disease.

The present study reports on two nonsmoking patients with severe pulmonary arterial hypertension, confirmed by right-heart catheterisation, who developed chronic cough, wheezing and irreversible obstructive lung disease masquerading as adult-onset severe refractory asthma.

In both cases, extrinsic proximal airway obstruction by dilated pulmonary arteries was demonstrated by fibreoptic bronchoscopy and computed tomography of the chest.

The present observations add dilatation of the central pulmonary arteries with compression of the mainstem bronchi to the list of masqueraders of asthma in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension.