Reactive airway disease: Is it asthma?

Our 2-year-old son has just been diagnosed with something called reactive airway disease. Is this just a fancy term for asthma?

- Linda / Nebraska

Mayo Clinic asthma and allergy specialist James Li, M.D., and colleagues answer select questions from readers.

Answer

Some doctors use the terms "reactive airway disease" and "asthma" interchangeably. However, they are not necessarily the same thing. "Reactive airway disease" is a general term and does not indicate a specific diagnosis. It may be used to describe a history of coughing, wheezing or shortness of breath due to undetermined cause. These signs and symptoms may or may not be caused by asthma. Time or further testing will tell.

Use of the term "reactive airway disease" in part reflects the difficulty in establishing a diagnosis of asthma in certain situations. This is especially true with very young children. Breathing tests needed to confirm a diagnosis of asthma are not practical in young children because they require cooperation and understanding to get good results. Children usually don't develop these skills until age 4 years — sometimes older.