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Gastro-oesophageal reflux and bronchial asthma: current status and future directions

¹ Department of Pediatrics, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh, India
² Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Pediatrics, Maulana Azad Medical College, New Delhi, India

Correspondence to:
Correspondence to:
Dr Joseph L Mathew
Department of Pediatrics, Advanced Pediatrics Centre, Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research, Chandigarh 160012, India; jlmathew{at}hotmail.com

In recent years there have been several reports suggesting an association between bronchial asthma and gastro-oesophageal reflux; however a cause and effect relationship has not been proven yet. Confirmation of such a relationship is likely to have far reaching implications on the management of asthma. Reliable assessment of this issue is hampered by the presence of various lacunae in most of the published studies. Hence it is essential to carefully examine the strength of data suggesting a link between asthma and reflux. This article critically analyses currently available literature on the subject (including published reviews, meta-analyses, and randomised clinical trials in the English language) and summarises valid conclusions that can be drawn; it also proposes a framework for future studies to resolve the issue.

Abbreviations: FEV₁, forced expiratory volume in the first second; GOR, gastro-oesophageal reflux; PEFR, peak expiratory flow rate

Keywords: gastro-oesophageal reflux; bronchial asthma