If you have asthma, you may be more likely to have acid reflux as well. You may have both asthma and reflux if you answer yes to any of the following questions:

Do you have symptoms of regurgitation? Many patients will describe the sensation of acid and food backing up into the esophagus as a "wet burp." Some people also have a sensation that their food is always coming back up with a sense of nausea.

Many patients will describe the sensation of acid and food backing up into the esophagus as a "wet burp." Some people also have a sensation that their food is always coming back up with a sense of nausea. Do you have frequent heartburn or pyrosis? This is the painful burning in your stomach and mid-chest caused by acid from your stomach going up into and irritating your esophagus. This is not only painful but can also lead to worsening asthma control. ﻿ ﻿

This is the painful burning in your stomach and mid-chest caused by acid from your stomach going up into and irritating your esophagus. This is not only painful but can also lead to worsening asthma control. ﻿ Do you experience a sour or bitter taste in your mouth? Depending on the severity, the reflux may cause a sour or bitter taste, or you may get a sudden sensation of a salty fluid in your mouth called water brash. Water brash results from the stomach acid stimulating the salivary glands to produce saliva. ﻿ ﻿

Depending on the severity, the reflux may cause a sour or bitter taste, or you may get a sudden sensation of a salty fluid in your mouth called water brash. Water brash results from the stomach acid stimulating the salivary glands to produce saliva. ﻿ Have you experienced coughing, wheezing, or shortness of breath at night in the past month? Unexplained nighttime asthma symptoms may indicate that you have reflux as well. Because you are sleeping you may not be aware that your reflux is severe enough that you are actually aspirating food particles into your lungs and this may be what is causing your restlessness and asthma symptoms.

Reflux can be one of the triggers in the pathophysiology of asthma that leads to more asthma symptoms or even trigger an asthma attack.﻿﻿

Signs and Symptoms

If your asthma is poorly controlled and you are experiencing any of the following symptoms of both reflux and asthma, you may want to consider talking with your doctor.

Wheezing

Chest tightness

Shortness of breath

Chronic cough

Feeling as though food is getting stuck in your throat

Hoarseness or voice changes

Sore throat

Your doctor may also suspect reflux and asthma are occurring together if:

Your asthma symptoms continue to occur despite taking your asthma medication appropriately, or you have had a poor response to your treatments.

You experience asthma symptoms after eating foods that make reflux worse, such as a high-fat meal, alcohol, chocolate, or caffeine.

You are taking medications known to increase acid reflux, such as calcium channel blockers (e.g. nifedipine for hypertension), prescription pain medications (e.g. Lortab), or osteoporosis treatments (e.g. Fosamax).

Your asthma symptoms began as an adult. ﻿ ﻿

What You Can Do If You Have Asthma and Reflux

There are a number of things you can do if you have both asthma and reflux. While you can go to your doctor for a prescription or the pharmacy for over the counter meds, you can also try these techniques without a trip to the doctor: