Question:
I was at the Dr (not quite ER scale problem but close enough) and she told
me that I was suffering simultaneously from Reactive Airway Disease and
Asthma. I don't understand the difference. I asked her ( she was not my
normal Dr as this was not a normal visit) but I am not sure I understood the
answer. Could someone enlighten me?
Answer:
from googling I gather that asthma is reactive airway disease ( as you
say) or that asthma is a type of reactive airway disease. Why then would the
Dr ( who is not my regular Dr but one they could get on short notice -- it
was kind of urgent) say I had both? Does it really matter...When I have an
issue I cough violently and the cough can last for weeks. Its treated with
prednisone (bad, bad, bad,bad). Otherwise I do flovent, flonase and serevent
daily. As far as I can tell this is standard treatment for asthma
Asthma is a RAD. Reactive airways are what distinguishes asthma from
other forms of fixed lung obstructions (in theory if not in real life
anyway). There is a certain stigma to diagnosing asthma so docs will often
use the term RAD when they don't want to put that label on just yet - often
on young children and adults wheezing in the cotext of an infection or
toxic exposure.
Only in that presumably if you have "RAD" it is hoped that this will not be
a long term/chronic problem while calling it "asthma" acknowledges that this
is a long term issue. Other than the prognotic implications there is no
difference.
