Upper Airway Obstruction:

• The upper airway gets blocked due to tumors or enlarged thyroid gland causing air passages to become narrowed or blocked, making it difficult to breathe.
• Such a patient presents with stridor (harsh vibrating noise) and harsh respiratory sounds, which can be localized to the area of trachea.
• Diffused wheezing throughout both lung fields is usually absent which is normally present in Asthma.

Vocal Cord Dysfunction (VCD):

• A condition in which the larynx (voice box) muscles close rapidly, causing difficulty in breathing.
• A person with VCD usually presents with cough, hoarseness, tightness in throat, change in voice and breathlessness more while inhaling air.

Foreign Body Aspiration

• It is a condition in which any solid or semisolid object gets lodged in larynx and trachea causing airway obstruction.
• In this, cough and wheezing is less intense than in Asthma, but respiratory distress and loss of voice frequently occur.

Congestive Heart Failure

• It is a cardiac condition in which the heart is not able to function optimally as per the requirements of the body, leading to retention of fluid in the lungs.
• This can cause difficulty breathing at rest or when lying flat in bed. Lung congestion can also cause a dry, hacking cough or wheezing.