A British woman was diagnosed with asthma due to respiratory problems and a severe coughing actually related to reflux disease. It has been reported daily mail.
A 50-year-old British woman was diagnosed with asthma 12 years ago. Symptoms began after a severe cold. Doctors initially suspected a chest infection and then pleurisy, an inflammation of the tissue between the lining of the lungs and the chest. A chest X-ray revealed a broken rib: it turned out that the woman had fractured her rib during a severe cough.
For six years he used an inhaler containing salbutamol, a medicine that relaxes the muscles in his airways. However, the treatment did not help the woman get rid of her symptoms: cough, hoarseness, and inability to breathe fully.
Finally, one of the doctors told the woman that she had gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), in which stomach acid constantly leaks into her esophagus. This was confirmed by a barium swallow test. Although the woman did not complain of characteristic symptoms, she was found to have severe GERD.
The patient was prescribed lansoprazole, a drug that reduces acid formation in the stomach. A few days after the start of treatment, the woman felt better.
A 2017 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that in about one-third of patients diagnosed with asthma, symptoms were actually caused by GERD.
One theory is that acid entering the esophagus stimulates the vagus nerve, which can narrow the airways. Another theory is that perhaps small amounts of acid move up and down the lungs, causing irritation and narrowing of the airways, the same symptoms as in asthma.