Airway obstruction. The problem and its causes.

Chronic airway obstruction usually has an insidious onset. It is often difficult to diagnose unless the patient is examined by a physician familiar with the problem and causes. Potential causes can be divided into infectious, inflammatory, traumatic, and neoplastic. Although the precise incidence of each category is unknown, trauma, secondary to previous prolonged intubation for mechanical ventilation, is currently the most common premorbid factor.