Asthma And Acid Reflux - Is There A Relationship?

For those living with asthma, you quickly learn which triggers are likely to cause an attack. Every person is unique, but an attack can often be attributed to a family member's dog or the field of dandelions next to where you work, or the cigarette smoke from an enclosed area.

But what if the trigger of your asthma attack wasn't caused by external factor? What if it was caused by something within your own body?

Researchers are finding that asthma and acid reflux can be intertwined conditions that negatively impact each other. If you have both asthma and acid reflux, they can compound the stress on your body. To understand how this can happen, let's take a quick look at both of these conditions:

What Is Asthma?

Asthma is a chronic lung condition. It's characterized by a difficulty with breathing. Asthma sufferers have extra sensitive or hyper-responsive airways. During an asthma attack, the airways become irritated and react by narrowing and constructing, causing increased resistance to airflow, and obstructing the flow of the air passages to and from the lungs. Asthma is caused by a slough of triggers, and what causes attacks are different for every sufferer.

What Is Acid Reflux?

Gastroesophageal reflux disease is the medical term for what we commonly refer to as acid reflux. This condition occurs when stomach acid backs up into the esophagus, causing inflammation and damage to the esophageal lining. The regurgitated acid most often consists of acid, bile, and pepsin. These can cause a mild burning in the chest, sometimes known as heartburn. Acid reflux is usually treated with an antacid, but if you have severe acid reflux your doctor will usually prescribe a stronger medication to control it.

Asthma And Acid Reflux Combined

When asthma and acid reflux are combined they tend to feed off each other. Asthma can cause acid reflux, and acid reflux can cause asthma. For instance, when you experience an asthma attack the pressure in your lungs shifts, which can then cause the acid from your stomach to move toward your lungs. Once the acid gets into your lungs, it can cause the muscles to constrict, which then leads to another asthma attack with the added element of heartburn.

Is There Anything That Can Be Done?

While asthmatics are more likely to suffer from acid reflux, researchers haven't discovered a treatment that addresses both problems. The current approach is to make every effort to control the acid reflux so that it doesn't contribute to the asthma. This is commonly achieved with medications, eating smart (avoiding spicy foods, for instance), and minimizing the stress in the life of the asthma patient.