What Is Reactive Airway Disease?

Reactive airway disease is a general term used by physicians to describe an event in which the respiratory system overreacts to a bronchial irritant, triggering wheezing and shortness of breath. Rather than being a disease in itself, reactive airway disease is a respiratory event placeholder and classifier used before an official diagnosis has been made. For example, it is often used in cases where asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and bronchial infections are suspected but not yet officially diagnosed. Among clinicians, the term has stirred controversy. Some doctors feel the use of this particular terminology is both outdated and imprecise; others who work in pediatrics and emergency medicine feel the term may be useful in these medical specialties. For emergency room doctors, reactive airway disease is understood as a shorthand for a range of symptoms the patient could have, and this shorthand allows staff to prepare the necessary treatment equipment in advance of a patient's arrival by ambulance.

The basic causes, symptoms, treatments, and complications associated with reactive airway disease are described below.

Link To Asthma

Reactive airway disease has a strong link to asthma, and the term is most frequently used in relation to suspected cases of asthma that have not yet been diagnosed. For example, pediatricians may use reactive airway disease as a diagnostic classification for very young pediatric patients who are too young to undergo diagnostic procedures for asthma, including a bronchial challenge test. Reactive airway disease may also be noted on an infant's medical record if clinicians cannot establish a definitive cause for their breathing issues. This notation is done to ensure the baby's breathing is regularly monitored and diagnostic procedures are completed when appropriate.

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Other Included Conditions

In addition to asthma, many other conditions may be found within the classification of reactive airway disease. For example, healthcare providers might use the term to describe instances of suspected chronic obstructive pulmonary disease prior to carrying out tests that specifically diagnose this disease. At other times, it could be employed to describe reactive airways dysfunction syndrome (RADS), a condition characterized by a single episode of coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath after exposure to excessive gas fumes and vapors. Reactive airway disease can technically include any condition that produces a bronchial spasm, and there is controversy among specialists as to which diseases are encompassed by the term. For example, some specialists would not include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease within the umbrella of reactive airway disease. In fact, the confusion this catchall term has caused is so extensive that some clinicians have said the term lacks any clinical meaning. Ultimately, it is largely up to each doctor to decide which respiratory conditions they wish to describe by using 'reactive airway disease.'

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