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Results are in from a study of patients with moderate to severe asthma and symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux (GERD). For 24 weeks, one-half of the 207 patients in the study received lansoprazole (Prevacid), a new acid-blocking drug similar to omeprazole (Prilosec), and the other half received a placebo. Though asthma symptoms and pulmonary function did not change, the group receiving lansoprazole had fewer asthma exacerbations a aaand needed fewer courses of oral steroids. Furthermore, quality-of-life scores improved significantly in the group treated with the reflux drug.
Two important conclusions arise from this interesting study. The first is the observation that treatments that do not affect wheezing or peak flows in patients whose asthma is well controlled on inhaled steroids may still have substantial “value added” by preventing asthma flares that take people to the doctor’s office or emergency room for unplanned visits which really disrupt their quality of life.
The second conclusion from this study is that treatment of acid reflux disease (GERD) can have important benefits for people with asthma who experience acid reflux symptoms. This was a study of adults, but GERD may be even more common among young children, and an important cause of asthma flares for them as well.
More studies are needed to define better whether all asthmatics should be worked up for GERD, and which patients should be treated with anti-acid medications.
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