asthma and reactive airway disease

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Jerry Freedman - 26 Nov 2003 19:09 GMT

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?

Jerry Freedman

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CBI - 26 Nov 2003 23:14 GMT

> 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?

Sometimes we call it RAD when we are reluctant to diagnose asthma. I don't
see much point is trying to make a case for both.

--
CBI, MD

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mcs - 27 Nov 2003 23:19 GMT

Its called the regular progression of a lung disease especially prevalent in
the northeast cities due primarily from breathing the combination of
exhausts, the cumulative polluted air from the west and the air from the
power plants due southwest.

> > 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
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> --
> CBI, MD

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mcs - 27 Nov 2003 23:22 GMT

oh and a little bit of air after burning radioactive waste due south.. Your
really very unlucky. If they had a name for it you or a relative can sue
someday ..... news:wEvxb.7430$lF6.6090@nwrdny01.gnilink.net...

> Its called the regular progression of a lung disease especially prevalent in
> the northeast cities due primarily from breathing the combination of
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> > --
> > CBI, MD

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Jerry Freedman - 28 Nov 2003 01:04 GMT

Well, 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

Jerry Freedman

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CBI - 29 Nov 2003 20:55 GMT

> Well, from googling I gather that asthma is reactive airway disease ( as you
> say) or that asthma is a type of reactive airway disease.

Yes - 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.

> 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?

Beats me.

> Does it really matter...

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.

> 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

Sounds like you have asthma.

--
CBI, MD

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