RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Obstructive retrosternal goitre mimicking severe bronchial asthma in pregnancy
JF BMJ Case Reports
JO BMJ Case Reports
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e229763
DO 10.1136/bcr-2019-229763
VO 12
IS 8
A1 Guo Hou Loo
A1 Wan R Wan Mat
A1 Rohaizak Muhammad
A1 Mawaddah Azman
YR 2019
UL http://casereports.bmj.com/content/12/8/e229763.abstract
AB Acute airway obstruction in pregnancy remains a challenge to manage. Failure of appropriate and timely airway management may lead to maternal morbidity and mortality such as aspiration pneumonitis or worst hypoxaemic cardiopulmonary arrest.1 As pregnancy may exacerbate asthma attacks, parturient presenting with wheezing or shortness of breath will commonly be treated as suffering from an asthmatic attack.2 However, it is important to note other possible differential diagnoses. Thyroid disease is relatively common in women of childbearing age. The thyroid gland undergoes several changes during pregnancy, which may lead to altered function as well as gland enlargement and cause upper airway obstruction and symptoms similar to a bronchial asthma attack.3 4 With that in mind, we report a case of a parturient with long-standing goitre in her second trimester who presented to our institution with acute respiratory symptoms and cardiopulmonary arrest.