Underestimated Aetiology Of Tracheobronchomalacia In Adults In China

Background: Tracheobronchomalacia (TBM) is an infrequent airway disease, but frequently unrecognized or misdiagnosed with other respiratory diseases, and its etiology remains unclear in China. Methods: Anthropometric information, smoking history, medical history, symptoms, signs, etiology, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis of ten patients were retrospectively analyzed. Etiologies were summarized from previous reports of Western countries. Results: The median onset age of the ten patients was 55 years. Patients presented productive cough, chest distress, and inspiratory wheezing. Etiologies of TBM included chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), tracheobronchial tuberculosis, relapsing polychondritis, and chronic bronchitis, the first two of which were dominated, accounting for 40%. Obstructive ventilation disturbance was found in the lung function test, and the flow-volume curve displayed main airway obstruction. Seven patients were worried about the side-effect of stenting, so they refused stenting. During follow-up (3-120 months), all patients survived. Conclusions: In China, main etiologies of TBM may be COPD and tracheobronchial tuberculosis, which are different from those of Western countries and seriously underestimated.