It is known that around 30% of children who are diagnosed with reactive airway disease are later found to be suffering from asthma. As said, the symptoms of reactive airway disease in children are often mistaken to be those of asthma. However, there are some distinct differences which separate one illness from the other.
Parents should care children health. He reactive airway disease is used when there is no specific diagnosis. When some symptoms occur that cannot be accurately named as asthma, doctors generally diagnose small kids with reactive airway disease. This is because asthma is difficult to be diagnosed at a young age. There are no specific causes of reactive airway disease in children and in adults. People suffering from this illness may have their respiratory tract swollen due to irritants such as smoke or particulates. This causes the narrowing and clogging of the small breathing tubes in the lungs. Other causes may include heredity, allergy to environmental stimulus, infection and virus. As the symptoms are very similar to those of asthma, reactive airway disease in children become difficult to be diagnosed. The symptoms may be mild to severe and may also cause sever airway damage in the long run depending on the amount of exposure to certain irritants. Read more on asthma in children.Reactive Airway Disease Symptoms
The most common symptom is wheezing which occurs when the air passes through the narrow airways. Other symptoms which the children suffer from are cough and nostril flaring (streaming or flapping or spreading wide as if in a current of air). Small babies may not be able to breath and suck at the same time due to the discomfort in their breathing. Coughing may become worse and may seem to prolong for a longer period of time.Reactive Airway Disease Treatment
Most doctors focus more towards addressing the symptoms and the discomfort, rather than putting the affected child on asthma medications, as they cannot be diagnosed with asthma (as cited above). Medications for breathing treatments may be recommended by the doctor for treating the airways. Some medicines which can provide relief from the inflammation and irritation of the airways may also be prescribed and advised to be taken for sometime. Precautions for reactive airway disease in toddlers involves keeping them from getting exposed to fumes, smokes and other such irritants. It is important for the parents to seek advice from a doctor before going for any kind of drugs or medications.Reactive airway disease in children is generally a non-specific term which can indicate a number of other diseases such as asthma, wheezy bronchitis, viral bronchitis, or even pneumonia. As these illnesses may not be diagnosed in small children due to various reasons, doctors usually refer the symptoms as those of reactive airway disease until otherwise determined. The best way to counter such kind of disease is to keep an eye on the occurrence of any such symptoms in your children and to seek medical help at the earliest. Reactive airway disease or asthma - whatever the illness may be, what's more important is the treatment and prevention!
