The Asthma and GERD Connection Bloomfield Hills MI
The Asthma and GERD Connection
Two Related Conditions
The American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology reports that as many as 70 percent of all people who are diagnosed with asthma also have co-existing GERD symptoms, too. In addition, many people with the most severe asthma symptoms that don't seem to respond to traditional treatment methods could find that their condition are actually related to their GERD.
Ironically, you may not automatically think these conditions would go hand in hand, since asthma and GERD occur as the result of two completely processes. While asthma is a disease that causes your airways to spasm, GERD or reflux is actually an action that takes place in the lower part of your esophagus. When GERD occurs, the valve in your digestive system that normally keeps food in your stomach relaxes a little and as a result, lets some of your stomach acid to come back up into your esophagus.
The Asthma and GERD Link
So you may wonder why asthma and GERD seem to go together. In fact, researchers are still unsure of exactly why or how the link occurs. There are several hypotheses that seem to make sense and any, or all, of these can exist.
One possible explanation is that in people with asthma, the changes in chest pressure that occur in an attack can weaken the esophagus muscle and cause the stomach acid to flow back. Another possibility is that when the stomach acid travels back up the esophagus, this can irritate your lungs in some way and make your airways more sensitive to triggers that can cause an asthma attack. In addition, some asthma medications may cause reflux. It is also worth noting that if you are overweight, this factor can be related to both conditions as well...
