title: An undiagnosed cause of chronic cough.
abstract: Tracheomalacia (TM) refers to loss of tracheal rigidity and resulting susceptibility to collapse. It is usually an incidental finding during investigations of other illness. The main symptoms are dyspnoea, cough, sputum production and hemoptysis. Most cases are considered as respiratory infection and are treated symptomatically. Acquired TM results from damage to trachea due to various conditions such as inflammation, chronic pressure, or medical/surgical procedures. The diagnosis is done by end-expiratory dynamic tracheal imaging, which demonstrates typical crescentric narrowing of trachea and reduced antero-posterior diameter <50% of normal. Management include conservative measures like cough suppressants or surgical measures like tracheoplasty, stenting or surgical repair. We are reporting a case of chronic cough, which was subsequently diagnosed as TM.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine, Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Ketan
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Malvi
authors.affiliation: Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: Arjun
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Padmanabhan
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Kerala Institute of Medical Sciences, Trivandrum, Kerala, India.
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Hari
keywords: Chronic cough; tracheomalacia; undiagnosed cause