What should you know about GERD and wheezing?

Refluxed stomach contents can irritate the throat and sometimes the airways. This may be noticed as cough, throat clearing, hoarseness or a wheeze that is worse after meals or when lying down. Wheezing is a whistling sound caused by narrowed airways; reflux is only one possible trigger.

Asthma, Acute Bronchitis, COPD, Bronchiolitis and Allergic Rhinitis can also produce noisy breathing or related symptoms. A sudden wheeze after food, medicine or an insect sting can occur with Anaphylaxis and needs emergency treatment.

Record when the wheeze appears, whether it follows meals or exercise, and whether you also have cough, fever, nasal symptoms or chest tightness. Remain upright after eating and discuss recurring reflux with a clinician. Use a prescribed inhaler exactly as directed. A Nebuliser Treatment may be offered in some settings, but it is not a substitute for urgent assessment when breathing is deteriorating.

Call emergency services for severe breathlessness, blue or grey lips, inability to speak in full sentences, collapse, swelling of the lips or tongue, or rapidly worsening wheeze. Arrange prompt assessment for a first episode, wheeze with fever, or symptoms that repeatedly wake you or limit normal activity.

Could reflux be aggravating my breathing, or is another airway condition more likely? Should I have lung-function testing? What should I do if my reliever does not ease the wheeze?