PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Hooi Shan Yap
AU  - Khin Hnin
AU  - Kyi Saw Tin
AU  - Kristin V. Carson
AU  - Brian Smith
TI  - Gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) treatment for asthma in adults and children: A cochrane systematic review
DP  - 2014 Sep 01
TA  - European Respiratory Journal
PG  - 230
VI  - 44
IP  - Suppl 58
4099  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/230.short
4100  - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/44/Suppl_58/230.full
SO  - Eur Respir J2014 Sep 01; 44
AB  - Aim: Asthma and gastro-oesophageal reflux (GOR) are common medical conditions which often co-exist. Temporal relationship between GOR and asthma had yet been established due to conflicting evidence of GOR as a trigger of asthma.We aim to evaluate effectiveness of treatments for GOR in terms of their benefit on asthma.Method: The Cochrane Airways group trials register and Central database were searched for trials, review articles and reference lists of articles. Randomised controlled trials of treatment for GOR in adults and children with a diagnosis of both asthma and GOR were included. Data were reviewed and extracted by two independent authors. Primary outcomes were acute exacerbations, hospitalisation and emergency room⁄unscheduled doctor visits. Secondary outcomes include lung function, asthma symptom scores, use of “rescue” medication⁄emergency action plan, nocturnal symptoms, airway hyper-responsiveness, treatment preferences and quality of life.Results: 386 citations were retrieved from the databases producing 25 studies, which met inclusion criteria. For acute exacerbation, 5 studies reported 150 events in intervention group compared to 158 events in control group (odds ratio 0.92; 95%CI 0.70 to 1.22; p=0.56). Overall effect estimate for acute exacerbation favours intervention but is not statistically significant. On the other hand, there is inadequate data for meta-analysis of event of hospitalisation and emergency room⁄unscheduled doctor visits.Conclusion: GOR treatment does not significantly improve asthma outcomes. More studies will be required to clarify the relationship and significance of GOR treatment in asthma.