A case of chronic cough caused by achalasia misconceived as gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Cough is one of the most common symptoms that causes patients to seek outpatient medical care. If cough persists longer than 8 weeks, common causes of chronic cough, such as upper airway cough syndrome, asthma, and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), should be considered. Although not a common cause of chronic cough, achalasia may cause symptoms very similar to reflux that can lead to its misdiagnosis as GERD. In this report, a 40-year-old woman presenting with chronic cough was initially diagnosed with GERD; however, her symptoms were refractory to conventional GERD treatment. Finally, she was diagnosed with achalasia. Her cough improved completely after pneumatic dilatation. Achalasia is a rare disease accompanied by dysphagia or regurgitation. If cough presumably due to GERD does not respond to treatment, or if the cause of chronic cough is uncertain, physicians should suspect achalasia.
Department of Internal Medicine, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
Hea Yoon
HY
Kwon
Department of Internal Medicine, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
Jun Hyeok
JH
Lim
Department of Internal Medicine, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
Yong Woon
YW
Shin
Department of Internal Medicine, Inha University School of Medicine, Incheon, Korea.
Cheol-Woo
CW
Kim
Chronic cough; achalasia; gastroesophageal reflux disease