ORIGINAL ARTICLES   

Minerva Pneumologica 2015 December;54(4):157-9

Copyright © 2015 EDIZIONI MINERVA MEDICA

lingua: Inglese

Gastro-esophageal reflux disease influence on asthma symptoms: assessment of non-responder to the standard treatment

Mormile M. ¹, Mormile I. ¹, Palladino F. ¹, Molino A. ¹, Ruggiero S. ², Telesca D. A. ², Cappello C. ², Sivero L. ²

¹ D.A.I. Clinical Medicine, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria Federico II Napoli, Naples, Italy; ² D.A.I. Gastroenterology, Endocrinology, Surgery, Azienda Ospedaliera Universitaria, Federico II Napoli, Naples, Italy

AIM: The study aims to emphasize the influence of gastroesophageal reflux on respiratory symptoms of asthma patients, especially for those non-responders to standard therapy of asthma.
METHODS: One-hundred and forty-eight patients with asthma, who were given a questionnaire to assess disease control asthma and the presence of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), were enrolled.
RESULTS: Of the 148 patients enrolled, 39 (26.35%) had reflux symptoms associated with asthma. At endoscopy, 19 had esophagitis, while 16 showed signs of reflux esophagitis, assessed according to the classification of Los Angeles. In the latter patients, the pH-metry of the 24 hours recorded acid refluxes with values of pH<4, for a time greater than 5%.
CONCLUSION: The presence of GERD may affect asthma control and the lack of response to medical management of asthma can be a clear signal of gastro-esophageal reflux disease.