Asthma vs. RAD (Reactive Airway Disease)

Pediatric Otolaryngologist Nina Shapiro, MD, discusses the differences between asthma and RAD, including the differences in testing, symptoms, and treatments
The Differences Between Asthma And RAD (Reactive Airway Disease)
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Asthma vs. RAD (Reactive Airway Disease)

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True asthma is actually diagnosed with breathing tests. So most kids who are diagnosed with asthma are a little bit older, and by a little bit older I mean four, five, six-year olds. Young children who have what's called asthma actually have something called Reactive Airway Disease. Those are the kids that every time they get a cold, they develop a chronic cough or wheezing. The treatment for Reactive Airway Disease, which is the younger age group diagnosis of asthma, is very similar to treatment of asthma. The main difference is that Reactive Airway Disease is something that most kids do grow out of. Asthma is much more commonly a life-long illness. The symptoms are very similar, coughing, wheezing, maybe worse with respiratory illnesses, but again, the treatments are usually the same.

Pediatric Otolaryngologist Nina Shapiro, MD, discusses the differences between asthma and RAD, including the differences in testing, symptoms, and treatments

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Nina Shapiro, MD

Pediatric Otolaryngologist

Dr. Nina Shapiro is the Director of Pediatric Otolaryngology (ear, nose and throat) and an Associate Professor of Surgery at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  As the first fellowship-trained pediatric otolaryngologist at the medical center since it was founded in 1955, her presence has put UCLA 'on the map' in her field.  

A graduate of Harvard Medical School and Cornell University College of Arts and Sciences, she also completed her residency training at Harvard.  She then went on to complete additional subspecialty training in pediatric otolaryngology at the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London, and The Children's Hospital of San Diego.

A native of New York, Shapiro has been honored with several prestigious awards, including the American Society of Pediatric Otolaryngology Award for Clinical Research, the UCLA Division of Head and Neck Surgery Faculty Teaching Award, and the American Academy of Pediatrics Young Investigators Award.  She has also been named "Super Doctor" by Los Angeles Magazine, and has been listed in "Who's Who in America".  

She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed journal articles, has edited a pediatric otolaryngology textbook, and is the author of the parenting book Take a Deep Breath: Clear the Air for the Health of Your Child, releaseded in January 2012. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and two children, and enjoys spending time with them more than anything else in the world.

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