DOES OMEPRAZOLE (PRILOSEC) IMPROVE RESPIRATORY-FUNCTION IN ASTHMATICSWITH GASTROESOPHAGEAL REFLUX - A DOUBLE-BLIND, PLACEBO-CONTROLLED CROSSOVER STUDY

Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) is common among patients with asthma, an d it has been speculated that high GER may exacerbate asthma in some. This study was designed to determine if suppression of acid reflux in patients with asthma would improve pulmonary function. A double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study design was used to determine the e ffect of GER suppression with omeprazole (20 mg twice daily) on pulmon ary function among asthmatic patients with esophagitis. Four of 15 (27 %) asthma patients with GER were shown to have a greater than or equal to 20% net improvement in pulmonary function (FEV(1)) after treatment for six weeks with omeprazole. These results indicate that some patie nts with asthma and GER will have improved pulmonary function when aci d GER is treated with omeprazole.