A belated revelation: from gastroesophageal reflux derived asthma to laryngotracheal irritation even spasm

Abstract

The author has been inspired by the Global Evidence-Based Consensus for gastroesophageal reflux (GER), which put forward four extra-esophageal syndromes: reflux cough syndrome, reflux laryngitis syndrome, reflux dental erosion syndrome and the reflux asthma syndrome. The author himself happened to receive five emergency rescue treatments following apparent “bronchial asthma”, which was to be diagnosed as GER at his own insistence. PPI resulted in some relief. After being rescued again from suffocation, he had a fundaplication, which was performed at the Englewood Hospital & Medical Center, Englewood, USA in March 2006. The procedure immediately cleared up his “asthma”. A month later he brought forth a Center for GER in an army hospital in Beijing, China. Up to now, 601 patients with mainly respiratory distress (84%) were treated by Stretta Radiofrequency, 58 by surgery and more by PPI. The GER Center is now complete with a ward. GER patients with respiratory distresses turned out to fare better than those with acid regurgitation. A nozzle-shaped pharynx was found in patients with the reflux. Animal study revealed that the refluxate entered into trachea and even lungs. Gradually a hypothesis of a gastro-oesophago-laryngo-tracheal reflux took shape.Our modest effort to treat GER-derived respiratory distresses has got off to an encouraging start amid relative shortage of experience and facilities. We would like to share two thoughts with scholars and experts at home and abroad:1. The GER-derived asthma is not asthma, but GER pure and simple;2. The pathogenesis of “asthma” is not asthma, but laryngotracheal irritation/spasm and its sequence.

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