Difference Between Asthma and Reactive Airway Disease (With Table)

Asthma is a medical disorder in which the body’s airways become inflamed. Asthma is a non-acute condition. Once this occurs, it becomes a chronic condition with a long-term effect and predominance on the individual. This medical problem is not easily cured.

Reactive airway disease is a term used to describe a condition in which the body’s air passages and bronchial tubes are irritated. Reactive airway illness is a one-time event. As a result, it is typically seen as a sort of acute condition that is not taken as seriously as Asthma.

Asthma vs Reactive Airway Disease

The main difference between Asthma and Reactive Airway Disease is that Corticosteroids, inhalers, and bronchodilators can be used to treat the condition of Asthma regularly. Whereas, Inhalers can be used to treat and regulate the general condition of Reactive airway disease. However, one of the most important treatments is the removal of irritants from the airways and bronchial tubes.

Asthma is diagnosed using a series of tests. Blood tests, lung challenge tests, and spirometry are used to monitor eosinophil concentrations. Asthma is a difficult disease to deal with. When a patient does not reach the age of five or is under the age of five, a precise diagnosis of the disease cannot be made. Individuals with Asthma can treat their ailment at home after receiving confirmation from their respective doctors.

It also has no long-term influence on an individual’s health. The condition of reactive airway disease is normally diagnosed without the use of any tests but rather by the patient’s existing clinical symptoms. The diagnosis of a child under the age of five who exhibits signs of the medical ailment reactive airway disease is simple to cure. It does not, however, rely on the person’s age.

Comparison Table Between Asthma and Reactive Airway Disease

Parameters of Comparison

Asthma

Reactive Airway Disease

Duration

Long term

Occurs only once

Seriousness

Chronic

Acute

Perfect diagnosis age

After the age of 5.

After or before the age of 5.

Treatment

Corticosteroids, inhalers and bronchodilators.

Avoiding irritants, use of Inhalers

Diagnosis

Blood test, lung challenge tests and spirometry.

By existing physical symptoms.

What is Asthma?

Asthma is a medical disorder in which the airways inside the body become inflamed. Asthma is a condition that isn’t life-threatening. Once this occurs, it becomes a chronic condition with a long-term impact and prevalence on the individual. This medical problem isn’t going away anytime soon.

The condition of asthma is diagnosed using a series of tests. This includes using blood testing, lung challenge tests, and spirometry to monitor eosinophil concentrations. Asthma is a difficult disease to diagnose and treat. When a patient does not reach the age of five or is under the age of five, a precise diagnosis of the condition cannot be made.

After receiving confirmation from their separate doctors, the individual can treat their Asthma condition at home. Corticosteroids, inhalers, and bronchodilators can be used regularly to treat the condition.

What is Reactive Airway Disease?

Reactive airway disease is a term used to describe a disorder in which the air passages and bronchial tubes inside the body become irritated. Reactive airway disease is a condition that only occurs once in a lifetime. As a result, it is commonly seen as a sort of acute condition that is not taken as seriously as Asthma.

Furthermore, it has no long-term influence on an individual’s health. The condition of reactive airway disease is normally identified without the need for any testing; rather, it can be recognised solely by the patient’s existing clinical symptoms. The diagnosis of a child under the age of five who exhibits the signs of a medical illness known as reactive airway disease is simple to cure.

It does not, however, usually rely on the person’s age. With the use of inhalers, the general condition of Reactive airway disease can be healed and kept under control. The process of removing irritants from the airways and bronchial tubes is, nevertheless, a key treatment.

Main Differences Between Asthma and Reactive Airway Disease

  1. Asthma is a type of medical condition where the airways inside the body show some sort of inflammatory response. On the other hand, to describe the condition where the air passages and the bronchial tubes inside the body are irritated, then this general situation is referred to as the condition of Reactive airway disease.
  2. Asthma is a type of condition which is not at all acute. Once this happens, it becomes a chronic disorder and simultaneously has a long-lasting effect and prevalence on the individual. This medical condition can not be gotten rid of that easily. On the other hand, the condition of reactive airway disease happens only once. Therefore it is usually regarded as a type of acute condition and is not taken that seriously as the condition of Asthma. Moreover, it does not have a long-lasting effect on the health of an individual, either.
  3. The diagnosis of the condition of asthma is made through the process of some tests. This includes observing the concentration of eosinophils with the help of blood tests, lung challenge tests and spirometry. Whereas, the diagnosis is the condition of reactive airway disease is usually not done with the help of any tests. Rather it can be diagnosed simply by the existing physical symptoms that the patient possesses.
  4. The condition of the disease of Asthma is a bit challenging. When a patient does not attain the minimum age of five or is below 5 years old, then the diagnosis of the disease can not be made accurately. On the other hand, the diagnosis of an individual below the age of five, having the symptoms of the general medical condition of reactive airway disease, can be treated easily. However, it generally does not depend on the age of the person specifically.
  5. The condition of the disease of Asthma can be treated at home by the individual after confirmation from their respective doctors. The treatment can be done frequently with the help of corticosteroids, inhalers and bronchodilators. On the other hand, the treatment of the general condition of Reactive airway disease can be cured and kept under control with the help of inhalers. However, major treatment includes the process of elimination of irritants in the air passages and the bronchial tubes.

Conclusion

Asthma is a disease in which the body’s airways become inflamed. Asthma is a non-acute respiratory disorder. It becomes a chronic disorder and has a long-term impact and predominance on the individual once it occurs. This medical problem is not easily cured. Asthma is diagnosed by a series of tests. Blood tests, lung challenge tests, and spirometry are used to monitor eosinophil levels.

Reactive airway disease is a term used to describe a disorder in which the body’s air passages and bronchial tubes become inflamed. Reactive airway disease is a once-in-a-lifetime ailment. As a result, it is frequently misunderstood as a form of an acute condition that isn’t considered as seriously as Asthma. It also has no long-term impact on one’s health.

Asthma is a difficult disease. When a patient is under the age of five or is under the age of five, it is impossible to make an appropriate diagnosis of the disease. After receiving confirmation from their separate doctors, an individual can treat their Asthma problem at home. Using corticosteroids, inhalers, and bronchodilators, the treatment can be repeated regularly.

A diagnosis of reactive airway disease in a child under the age of five can be easily addressed. It does not, however, rely on the individual’s age. Inhalers can be used to treat and control the general symptoms of Reactive airway disease. The process of removing irritants from the airways and bronchial tubes is, however, a crucial part of treatment.

References

  1. https://www.nejm.org/doi/pdf/10.1056/NEJM198911303212206
  2. https://www.nature.com/articles/ni.3049?foxtrotcall