Reflux Asthma: What You Should Know

Reflux happens when stomach contents move back towards the gullet. It can irritate the throat and airway, causing cough, throat clearing or a sour taste; airway irritation may also make asthma symptoms harder to control. Asthma itself can cause wheezing, cough and chest tightness, so symptoms alone cannot show whether reflux is involved. Allergies, infection, smoke and other irritants may also contribute.

Notice whether symptoms follow large meals, lying down, late-night eating or particular foods, and share the pattern with a clinician. Avoid smoking and reduce exposure to known airway irritants. If nighttime reflux is suspected, ask about meal timing and safe positioning advice. Continue prescribed asthma medicines and use an inhaler exactly as instructed; do not replace them with reflux remedies. A clinician can decide whether reflux treatment or an inhaler review is appropriate.

Call emergency services for severe breathlessness, blue or grey lips, inability to speak normally, collapse, confusion or rapidly worsening wheeze. Seek prompt care when a reliever inhaler is not helping as expected, symptoms are waking you repeatedly, or chest tightness is new or severe. Coughing blood, difficulty swallowing or unexplained weight loss also warrants medical review.

Ask whether your symptoms fit asthma, reflux or another cause, whether your inhaler technique needs checking, and whether a reflux treatment trial is suitable. Bring a record of meals, body position, nighttime symptoms, reliever use and possible allergy or infection triggers.