Polski merkuriusz lekarski : organ Polskiego Towarzystwa Lekarskiego
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Vocal cord dysfunction (VCD) is a functional laryngeal dysfunction first described in the nineteenth century. It is quite frequent in patients with "refractory" asthma. It is very often treated as a steroid resistant asthma or exercise-induced bronchospasm, leading to unnecessary, aggressive asthma treatment and iatrogenic morbidity. ⋯ Fast and appropriate diagnosis of VCD is only possible with close collaboration of laryngologists and asthma specialists. The treatment of dyspnea attack in VCD involves psychological counseling, heliox application and sedative/anxiolytic agents. Long term treatment may include speech therapy, biofeedback, yoga and autohypnosis.