It is estimated that more than 75% of patients with asthma also experience frequent heartburn, a condition called gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). People with asthma are twice as likely to have GERD as those people who do not have asthma. Of the people with asthma, those who have a severe, chronic form of asthma that is resistant to treatment are most likely to also have GERD.
Doctors most often look at GERD as the cause of asthma when:
Asthma begins in adulthood, called adult-onset asthma
Asthma symptoms get worse after a meal, after exercise, at night or after lying down
Asthma doesn't respond to the standard asthma treatments.
However, there are a few possibilities as to why GERD and asthma may coincide. One possibility is that the acid flow causes injury to the lining of the throat, airways and lungs, making inhalation difficult and often causing a persistent cough.
Another potential link to asthma for patients with GERD is that when acid enters the esophagus, a nerve reflex is triggered, causing the airways to narrow in order to prevent the acid from entering. This will cause a shortness of breath.
Aside from these possible relationships between asthma and GERD, one study showed there was an increase in the rate of GERD in patients with asthma who were treated with asthma medications known as bronchodilators. However, further studies must be done before the relationship between GERD and these drugs can be fully understood.
