respond by tightening up. Acid from the esophagus can also irritate the lungs directly if aspirated, or inhaled. Any damage to the esophagus, of course, can worsen coughs, one of the major symptoms of asthma.
If you develop asthma in adulthood, GERD may be the cause. Your doctor will also suspect GERD if your asthma doesn’t respond well to normal treatments, or if symptoms get worse at the same times that GERD usually flares up, namely at night or just after a meal, workout, or period of lying down.
What can you do about GERD?
Whether GERD caused your asthma or vice versa, treatment for GERD just might help you breathe easier. One study found that 75 percent of patients treated surgically for GERD showed marked improvement in their asthma status, while only about 9 percent of patients treated medically showed a similar improvement.
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For starters, you can try taking over-the-counter acid blockers such as Prilosec OTC (omeprazole), Pepcid (famotidine), Tagamet (cimetidine), or Zantac (ranitidine). You can also control acid by eating smaller meals, giving up smoking, wearing loose clothes, maintaining a healthy weight, not eating within three hours of bedtime, drinking caffeine and alcohol in moderation (if at all), and inclining the head of your bed so that your head is raised six inches. Sleeping on your left side may help, too.
If GERD is still troubling you after a few weeks, don’t hesitate to ask your doctor for help. He or she may order higher doses of stronger medication, or do invasive tests such as an endoscopy, an upper GI series, or even a pH probe — a test that measures acid levels in your esophagus. If the tests confirm that you do have reflux, your doctor may prescribe extra-high doses of acid blockers to bring GERD under control. In some cases, surgery may be needed to strengthen the valve between the stomach and the esophagus.
You don’t want to ignore your asthma, either. It’s important that you keep taking your asthma medications, even if GERD becomes your most pressing concern. If you’re taking theophylline, be sure to tell your doctor if you start to develop symptoms of GERD. He or she may be able to stop the burn by changing the prescription or the dose.
Asthma and GERD have much in common. Above all else, both should be taken seriously.