Reactive Airway Disease Treatment

[Olddrum]

My husband caught a cold and turned into pneumonia during May. His first doctor put him on an antibiotic and then said let your immune system fight it off. He got worse, turned blue on several occasions, hallucinated, and had to have 911 called while at the doctor's office to go into an air tank. His second doctor has him on albuterol and advair 100/50. He now uses the albuterol with his breathing machine about once per day and the advair twice per day. The doctor says he has to be on the advair for six months to  a year for prevention. He is on his third month. Is this the researched recommended treatment? What about exercise to increase lung capacity? Thank you for your time and any information.

[National Jewish]

Reactive airways disease (RAD) is another term for asthma that is used when the problem is not clearly asthma.  Inflammation in the airways can cause wheezing and/or coughing.  Many infections, including pneumonia, can cause inflammation of the airways of the lungs.  Even after the infection has cleared, it is possible for the inflammation to linger.  This inflammation can last a couple of weeks.  Sometimes this inflammation may linger for 3 to 6 months.  The inflammation will eventually go away on it own.  However using a long-term control medicine, like Advair™ Diskus® (fluticasone/salmeterol), will help clear it away quicker.

It is difficult to say if the inflammation is due to asthma or RAD.  If your husband experiences a return of his symptoms he will need to see his doctor to learn the nature of the problem.  To know for sure if his symptoms are due to asthma he will need to have testing done.  Generally testing starts with a simple breathing test called spirometry.  This test provides detailed information about how his lungs are working.  It will show if there is obstruction in his airways.  Sometimes this test is repeated after he has used a rescue inhaler like albuterol.  When there is a 20% increase the test is positive for asthma.  Advair™ Diskus® (fluticasone/salmeterol) and albuterol as needed are recommended for the treatment for asthma.

While exercise does not increase lung capacity, it does improve the efficiency of the lung to deliver oxygen.  There is less demand with a regular exercise program.  Exercise may also make your husband feel better.

[gig6]

My daughter is 14m old.  Since she was 2weeks we have complained to the pedi about her sloppy breathing.  When she was 7m she woke in resp.distress we rushed her to hospital where we were told she had pneumonia, tracheal mylasia, asthma, reflux.  They did a CT scan and also told us of a mass in the R Lung and several small masses in the L.  She was then transfered to a childrens hospital where she has been treated for the asthma and reflux for the past 6 months.  The pulmonologist said the masses would probably be gone in 6 months so we waited on repeating a ct scan.  She also has weight issues. 14m and 34lbs.  The CT scan was finally repeated last week and to our dismay the mass in the R lung is still there and slightly bigger.  The Dr. says this is Pulmonary Cystic Lesion and would talk to us more in 5 weeks when she was able to schedule us back in.  CF has been completely ruled out.  My question does this sound like a cystic lesion and should it be removed?

[shellee M]

Our son was just dx with RAD yesterday. He's always has asthma and struggled with breathing problems. It's great to have a forum out there for this. thianks for letting me post. I hope that I can meet other mothers that are giong through this also.
Here's my email addy:
***@****
shelley

[Sunlover726]

I have recently been diagnosed with Reactive Airway Disease.  Almost 7 weeks ago, this "illness" began.  I had a sinus infection that turned into bronchitis and then pneumonia.  I spent four days in the hospital on IVs with a Levaquin and Prednisone drip and Xophenex (sp) nebulizer treatments, and using the Advair inhaler.  During the course of all my treatments over the past weeks, I have used Penicillian, Levaquin, Cipro, Phenergan suppressant and expectorant, Advair inhaler, Combivent inhaler, Albuterol inhaler, Histussin, 2 weeks of Medrol Dose Pak and then Prednisone 20 mg. 3x a day (I've put on 25lbs.), Theodur, Flonase, Nasonex, Zyrtec and Prevacid.  This week, I started Augmentin XR.

I started treating with my family physician and eventually went to a pulmonologist.  Last week the pulmonologist confirmed that my pneumonia was gone but I'm still having a horrendous cough and much weezing.  The pulmonologist was completely baffled that the chest x-rays appeared normal but the cough was so bad.  He told me that it was possible that I had a blood clot in my lungs...this is not a good thing to hear a week before Christmas.  So the testing began.  I had a breathing test, much blood work, a V/Q scan which involves shooting radioactive material into my veins as well as breathing it into my lungs, CT scans, and more chest x-rays.  

Everything was normal, except for some scar tissue and a chronic bronchitis that will stay in my lungs.  I have had bad allergies and asthma my entire life.  I'm 26 years-old.  So much for outgrowing it.

So far, none of the medication that I have been on has helped. At one point, the doctor thought I had a silent acid reflux and took me off of all of the medicine except for the Prevacid.  Nothing helped.  I am continuing to take the Augmentin and use the Albuterol inhaler when I start to have a bronchospasm and I'm learning to deal with the cough.  Does anyone know if this will ever end?  I ran across this website in a search for more information about RAD.  Any information you might have about it would be greatly helpful.

Thanks!
Tricia

[LadyB]

I've dealt with reactive airway for 5 or 6 years ~ I take an antihistamine all the time, but it only helps a little. I tried Singulair, but had a bad reaction to it, and I was on an albuterol inhaler at one point, but the doctor said it was hyper dialating my lungs. I don't know what else to do. I know advil keeps inflammation down, but I can't seem to get this under control.  ( I'm 26 too. )

[suberry]

  Ive just been diagnosed with reactive airway disease. I have had a cough and chest pressure for a month, been on lots of diffrent meds & inhaler. Im only 28, I have never had asthma or allergies. How bad is RAD ???

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