Respiratory muscle function in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease with extraesophageal symptoms

Abstract

Introduction: Prevalence of respiratory muscle dysfunction has been shown to be higher in patients with respiratory diseases than in subjects without, but comprehensive investigations of respiratory muscle function in patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) with extraesophageal symptoms have not yet been performed. Methods: We assessed respiratory muscle function of 18 patients with GERD (FVC=101.0±17.5% predicted; 11 females/7 males) and 18 healthy controls (FVC=102.0±9.9% predicted; 11 females/7 males), who were matched for age and BMI. Patients with GERD underwent a combination of postural and respiratory muscle training (RMT) for 2 months. Results: Maximal inspiratory (85.7±30.8% predicted vs. 123.3±31.4% predicted; p Conclusion: The present study provides evidence that respiratory muscle function is reduced in patients with GERD compared to healthy controls. Therefore, respiratory muscle function should be regularly assessed in patients with GERD. Moreover, if respiratory muscle dysfunction is present, RMT is very likely to benefit these patients.