Clinicodiagnostic significance of gastroesophageal reflux and structural changes in the esophagus and stomach in bronchial asthma
Kozlova, I.V.; Kvetnoĭ, I.M.; Slavkina, E.A.; Pakhomova, A.L.
Klinicheskaia Meditsina 84(1): 34-37
2006
ISSN/ISBN: 0023-2149 PMID: 16512394 Document Number: 603866
Four hundred patients with bronchial asthma (BA) were questioned. Complex clinical and instrumental examination of 60 patients with BA and endoscopic-positive gastroesophageal reflux disease was carried out; the control groups included 30 patients with BA alone and 30 patients with GERD alone. Clinical symptoms of GERD were revealed in 58% of BA patients; endoscopic-positive GERD was diagnosed in 48.6% of BA patients. The study proved the connection between the degree of respiratory disturbances, on the one hand, and the degree of esophagitis and the level of intraesophageal pH, on the other, in patients with BA plus GERD. The study also established the role of esophageal and gastric epitheliocytes, producing endothelin-1, melatonin, NO-synthase, and calretinin, in the occurrence of mutual exacerbation syndrome.