In a study just published in the New England Journal of Medicine the authors found that using a Proton-Pump Inhibitor (PPI) in patients with asthma does not improve asthma control. In this study, patients with inadequately-controlled asthma were given esomeprazole 40mg twice a day to decrease stomach acid concentrations and decrease acid reflux.
There was no benefit to the primary treatment outcomes of subjective improvements in asthma function nor was there any benefit to secondary outcomes including pulmonary function, and nocturnal symptoms. The authors concluded that PPIs are not effective in reducing asthma symptoms.
It is well-known that patients with asthma often have symptoms of reflux disease (GERD), and it has been postulated that decreasing stomach acid concentrations would help symptoms of GERD as well as reflux-induced bronchoconstriction. This study casts doubt on whether acid control in asthma is effective for patients with asymptomatic reflux disease; although asthma patients with peptic ulcer disease or symptomatic GERD may benefit from PPI therapy.
From:
The American Lung Association Asthma Clinical Research Centers (2009). Efficacy of esomeprazole for treatment of poorly controlled asthma. NEJM, 360(15); 1487-1499.
Best wishes,