The association of gastroesophageal reflux with bronchial asthma. Can asthma also trigger reflux?

The frequency of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) among asthmatic patients was found to range from 34% to 89% at different locations. The aims of this study have been to determine the frequency of GER in patients with asthma in the Saudi environment, to ascertain the main mechanism whereby GER triggers asthma, and to seek any evidence whether asthma can also trigger GER.

Fifty asthmatic patients were consecutively recruited as they reported to King Fahd Hospital of the University (KFHU), Al-Khobar, Saudi Arabia, in the period from February 2000 to February 2001; their mean age +/- SD was 38.0 +/- 9.8 years. Twenty-two subjects without asthma or GER served as controls; their mean age +/- SD was 29.4 +/- 8.6. Both groups were subjected to a questionnaire, esophageal manometry, dual probe ambulatory 24-hour pH monitoring, and pulmonary function tests.

Among the asthmatic group 22 patients (44%) had GER. Accordingly, the asthmatic patients were divided into two groups: asthmatic with GER (n=22), and asthmatic without GER (n=28). Hoarseness of voice and nocturnal symptoms were found to be significant predictors for the presence of GER in asthmatics. Manometry revealed that asthmatic patients with GER had higher gastric pressure (11.4 +/- 4.0 mmHg vs. 8.4 +/- 2.8 mmHg; p=0.006) and lower resting pressure at the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) (21.2 +/- 8.7 mmHg vs. 28.2 +/- 9.3 mmHg; p=0.013) when compared with controls, both factors favoring the occurrence of reflux. With regard to pH data, acid reflux occurred both at the distal and proximal esophagus but the percent total acid exposure time was about 7 times longer at the distal than at the proximal esophagus (5.80 vs. 0.9). In addition, gastric pressure was positively and significantly correlated with distal esophageal acid exposure time and the DeMeester score, negatively correlated with spirometric parameters in asthmatic patients, as well as found to be a significant predictor of the severity of asthma (p=0.006).

Forty-four percent of the sample of asthmatic patients reporting to KFHU had GER. Since distal esophageal total acid exposure time was nearly 7 times longer than at the proximal esophagus, the main mechanism for GER triggering asthma is the vagally mediated reflex initiated by acid in the distal esophagus. In addition, the positive correlation of increased gastric pressure with the distal esophageal acid exposure time and the DeMeester score, its negative correlation with spirometric parameters and being a significant predictor of asthma severity suggest that severe asthma may trigger or aggravate GER.