Of those conditions that may masquerade as asthma, disorders of the larynx are often troubling to the clinician and are commonly misdiagnosed. Most of us are familiar with the management of dyspnea originating from asthma or anaphylaxis, but a high index of suspicion is needed to unravel a patient's symptom complex and pinpoint a diagnosis of laryngeal pathology. These patients may complain of shortness of breath, which may be accompanied by “wheezing”; other patients state that their symptoms are worsened by exercise. They may even carry a diagnosis of “refractory asthma.” Direct visualization of the larynx at the time a patient is experiencing symptoms is the highest yield diagnostic study in the majority of laryngeal disorders. If one fails to make the correct diagnosis, patients may experience potentially harmful iatrogenic side effects, especially when long-term oral glucocorticoids are given for a diagnosis of “steroid-resistant asthma.”