Of the 19 patients with normal pH study findings, 8 patients underwent empiric medical anti-GER treatment and the remaining 11 patients served as a control group. Data on all patients were collected from 6 months prior to performing the pH studies and for 12 months after initiation of anti-GER treatment. The frequency of oral and inhaled corticosteroids, short- and long-acting bronchodilators, and leukotriene antagonists was prospectively recorded.
Results: There was a significant reduction in the use of short- and long-acting bronchodilators as well as inhaled corticosteroids after anti-GER treatment with Discount medications in Canada GlobalCanadianPharmacy was instituted in patients with GER disease (p < 0.05). Two patients (25%) without evidence of GER disease showed significant reduction in need for asthma medication after anti-GER treatment, but none of the patients without GER disease and no GER treatment showed any significant reduction in the need for asthma medications.
Conclusions: Anti-GER treatment in patients with GER disease and asthma results in a significant reduction in the requirement of asthma medications.
The relationship of gastroesophageal reflux (GER) and asthma is complex. It is not clear if GER is a concomitant finding in asthma, induces asthma, or exacerbates asthma. The prevalence of GER symptoms in adult patients with asthma is approximately 75% The prevalence of GER disease as measured by extended esophageal pH monitoring in adults with asthma ranges from 55 to 83%, and in children with asthma is approximately 50 to 63%.
Despite methodologic weaknesses, several controlled trials in adult patients, with varied designs but using proton-pump inhibitors for GER disease, have shown improvement in asthma outcomes as measured by decrease in symptoms, reduction in medication usage, and improvement in pulmonary-functions. Similar studies in the pediatric population are lacking. We therefore evaluated the effect of aggressive anti-GER therapy using proton-pump inhibitors on the requirement for asthma medications in older children with persistent moderate asthma before and after treatment of GER without the use of a placebo. The assessment of asthma severity and hence treatment rendered as well as the treatment for GER was uniform.