Conditions in which inspiratory stridor (during inspiration) may occur:
Congenital malformations, deformities, and chromosomal abnormalities (Q00-Q99).
- Choanal atresia – congenital absence of the posterior nasal opening.
- Laryngo- (laryngeal)/tracheomalacia (tracheal softening).
- Laryngeal sail
- Laryngocele – bulge of the laryngeal ventricle (sinus morgagni or ventriculi morgagnii) in the larynx, i.e. the lateral bulge between the vocal folds and the pocket folds.
- Laryngeal folds
- Pierre-Robin sequence (synonyms: Pierre-Robin syndrome or Robin syndrome) – congenital malformation complex with anomalies in the maxillofacial region.
- Vocal cord paresis (vocal cord paralysis; congenital).
- Subglottic hemangioma – congenital hematoma (hemangioma) located in the larynx (larynx) below the glottis region (subglottic).
- Subglottic stenosis (congenital) – narrowing “below the glottis (glottis)”
- Cystic hygroma – a fluid-filled sac in the posterior cervical region (neck region), often subdivided by septa (septums)
Respiratory System (J00-J99)
- Airway obstruction (acute and chronic) in the extrathoracic (outside the chest) region.
- Bronchial asthma
- Epiglottitis (inflammation of the epiglottis), acute; acute, purulent inflammation of the epiglottis occurring almost exclusively in young children as a result of infection with Haemophilus influenzae; leading symptom: inspiratory stridor and dysphagia (dysphagia); if suspected, immediately to the clinic with medical accompanimentLeads to death in 24-48 hours if untreated!
- Diphtheria (real croup)
- Glottic edema – acute swelling (edema) of the mucous membrane of the larynx.
- Laryngeal edema – based on allergic angioneurotic edema (often massive swelling of the subcutis (subcutaneous tissue) or submucosa (submucosal connective tissue), which usually affects the lips and eyelids, but may also affect the tongue or other organs).
- Laryngeal stenosis – narrowing of the laryngeal lightening.
- Laryngospasm (glottis spasm) – spasmodic closure of the larynx, leading to acute respiratory distress.
- Laryngitis, acute (laryngitis).
- Laryngotracheobronchitis (pseudocroup) – inflammation of the larynx (larynx), trachea (trachea) and bronchi; viral genesis (viruses of various origins; viral croup).
- Recurrent paresis (vocal cord paralysis), unspecified.
- Retropharyngeal abscess – accumulation of pus (abscess) in the spatium retropharyngeum (retropharyngeal space/area between the posterior pharyngeal wall and the spine).
- Vocal cord dysfunction (Engl. Vocal Cord Dysfunction, VCD) – leading symptom of VCD: Abruptly occurring, dyspnea-inducing laryngeal obstruction (laryngeal constriction usually experienced in the cervical or upper tracheal region), usually during inspiration (inhalation), which can lead to dyspnea of varying intensity, inspiratory stridor (breath sounds on inhalation), no bronchial hyperresponsiveness (airway hypersensitivity in which the bronchi abruptly constrict), normal lung function; cause: Paradoxical intermittent glottis closure; especially in younger women.
- Tracheal stenosis (tracheal narrowing).
- Tracheitis (inflammation of the trachea)
Blood, blood-forming organs – immune system (D50-D90).
- Hereditary angioedema (or hereditary angioneurotic edema) – autosomal dominant inherited disorder with a tendency to develop angioedema/swelling of the subcutaneous tissues, especially the lips (special form of Quincke’s edema); the cause is C1 esterase inhibitor deficiency.
Endocrine, nutritional and metabolic diseases (E00-E90).
- Goiter (enlargement of the thyroid gland).
Cardiovascular system (I00-I99)
- Vascular anomalies (eg, double aortic arch causing circular constriction of the trachea (windpipe) and esophagus (esophagus) usually in the first few months of life)
Infectious and parasitic diseases (A00-B99).
- Diphtheria (formerly referred to as the “true croup”).
- Pertussis (whooping cough; inspiratory stridor or vomiting may occur after the coughing attacks).
Musculoskeletal system and connective tissue (M00-M99).
- Granulomatosis with polyangiitis – necrotizing vasculitis of small to medium-sized vessels (small-vessel vasculitides), which is associated with granuloma formation in the upper respiratory tract (nose, sinuses, middle ear, oropharynx) and lower respiratory tract (lungs).
Neoplasms – tumor diseases (C00-D48).
- Laryngeal papillomatosis (benign vocal fold polyps; protracted infectious).
- Tumors in the upper respiratory tract (eg, laryngeal tumor, mediastinal tumors).
- Tumors of the thyroid gland
Other and unspecified damage due to external causes (T66-T78).
- Anaphylactic shock (anaphylaxis) – acute, severe general reaction of the immune system (immediate allergic reaction) [danger to life!].
Injuries, poisoning and other consequences of external causes (S00-T98).
- Foreign body aspiration (inhalation of foreign bodies; e.g., small parts of toys; miniature batteries) – in predominantly inspiratory stridor, the foreign body is usually located above or in the glottis (space between the vocal folds and the stellate cartilages); when located deep in the bronchi, a foreign body causes an expiratory wheeze – Note: an interdisciplinary approach is always required when removing foreign bodies from children’s airways!
- Laryngeal trauma
- Burns of the upper respiratory tract
- Condition after long-term intubation
Conditions in which expiratory stridor (on exhalation) may occur:
Respiratory System (J00-J99)
- Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (Engl : chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD); less commonly also: chronic obstructive lung disease (COLD), chronic obstructive airway disease, COAD) – in which there is a progressive, not fully reversible obstruction (narrowing) of the airways.
