(Chest. 2001;119:1043-1048.)
© 2001
American College of Chest Physicians
Increased Prevalence of Gastroesophageal Reflux Symptoms in Patients With COPD*
Babak Mokhlesi, MD;
Aaron L. Morris, RRT;
Cheng-Fang Huang, MS;
Anthony J. Curcio;
Terrence A. Barrett, MD and
David W. Kamp, MD, FCCP
*
From the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care (Drs. Mokhlesi and Kamp), Department of Preventive Medicine (Ms. Huang), and Division of Gastroenterology, Department of Medicine (Dr. Barrett), Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, IL; the Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care (Drs. Mokhlesi, Kamp, and Mr. Morris), Veterans Administration Chicago Healthcare System, Lakeside Division, Chicago, IL; and TAP Pharmaceuticals (Mr. Curcio), Deerfield, IL.
*
From the Service de Pneumologie (Drs. Marchand, Delaunoois, Brancaleone, and Vandenplas), Cliniques Universitaires de Mont-Godinne, Université Catholique de Louvain, Yvoir; Service de Pneumologie (Dr. Mairesse), Clinique Saint-Luc, Bouge; and Centre de Génétique Humaine et Unité de Génétique Médicale (Drs. Verellen-Dumoulin and Rahier), Université Catholique de Louvain, Brussels, Belgium.
Correspondence to: Eric Marchand, MD, Service de Pneumologie, Cliniques Universitaires de Mont-Godinne, 5530-Yvoir, Belgium; e-mail: eric.marchand{at}pneu.ucl.ac.be
 |
Abstract
|
|---|
Study objectives: To determine the prevalence of
gastroesophageal reflux (GER) symptoms in patients with COPD and the
association of GER symptoms with the severity of airways obstruction as
assessed by pulmonary function tests (PFTs).
Design:
Prospective questionnaire-based, cross-sectional analytic survey.
Setting: Outpatient pulmonary and general medicine clinics
at a Veterans Administration hospital.
Patients:
Patients with mild-to-severe COPD (n = 100) were defined based on
American Thoracic Society criteria. The control group (n = 51)
consisted of patients in the general medicine clinic without
respiratory complaints or prior diagnosis of asthma or COPD.
Intervention: Both groups completed a modified version of
the Mayo Clinic GER questionnaire.
Results: Compared
to control subjects, a greater proportion of COPD patients had
significant GER symptoms defined as heartburn and/or regurgitation once
or more per week (19% vs 0%, respectively; p < 0.001), chronic
cough (32% vs 16%; p = 0.03), and dysphagia (17% vs 4%;
p = 0.02). Among patients with COPD and significant GER symptoms,
26% reported respiratory symptoms associated with reflux events,
whereas control subjects denied an association. Significant GER
symptoms were more prevalent in COPD patients with FEV1
50%, as compared with patients with FEV1 > 50% of
predicted (23% vs 9%, respectively; p = 0.08). In contrast, PFT
results were similar among COPD patients with and without GER symptoms.
An increased number of patients with COPD utilized antireflux
medications, compared to control subjects (50% vs 27%, respectively;
p = 0.008).
Conclusions: The questionnaire
demonstrated a higher prevalence of weekly GER symptoms in patients
with COPD, as compared to control subjects. There was a trend toward
higher prevalence of GER symptoms in patients with severe COPD;
however, this difference did not reach statistical significance. We
speculate that although GER may not worsen pulmonary function, greater
expiratory airflow limitation may worsen GER symptoms in patients with
COPD.
Key Words: COPD FEV1 gastroesophageal reflux disease questionnaire
 |
Introduction
|
|---|
The
association between gastroesophageal reflux (GER) symptoms and
respiratory symptoms is well recognized in the setting of
asthma.1
2
In the US adult population, it has been
estimated that GER symptoms occur at frequencies of 7% daily, 14 to
19% weekly, and 40% monthly.3
4
5
The prevalence of
weekly GER symptoms in patients with asthma is much higher (39 to
70%).6
7
8
However, the mechanisms accounting for the
strong relationship between GER symptoms and asthma are not well
established. Two explanations have been proposed. One mechanism
suggests that reflux induces microaspiration of gastric contents that
irritate airways.9
Other studies9
10
suggest
that asthma symptoms may be induced without direct exposure of the
airways to refluxant material. Some studies9
10
11
12
have
demonstrated bronchoconstriction with distal esophageal acid perfusion
(pH < 4) in patients with asthma. These results support the notion
that acid reflux into the distal esophagus induces vagally mediated
reflex bronchoconstriction.9
12
Based on these mechanisms,
a recent review13
emphasized that patients with asthma be
aggressively treated for GER.
In contrast to asthma, the prevalence of GER symptoms is not well
established in patients with COPD. Anderson and
Jensen14
15
noted an increased prevalence of benign
esophageal disease (eg, GER, insufficiency of the lower
esophageal sphincter, esophageal dysmotility, hiatal hernia,
esophagitis) in patients who self-reported COPD. El-Serag and
Sonnenberg16
performed a retrospective review of a large
group of veterans and demonstrated an increased risk of pulmonary
diseases, including COPD, in patients with reflux esophagitis, as
compared to control subjects. Unlike asthma patients, esophageal acid
perfusion did not increase bronchoconstriction in patients with
COPD.17
18
Thus, the relationship between GER symptoms and
COPD is unclear. To further explore this association, we assessed the
prevalence of GER symptoms in a large, veteran-patient population with
COPD, as compared to a control group of internal medicine outpatients
without COPD from the same medical center. Our findings suggest an
association between GER symptoms and COPD.
 |
Materials and Methods
|
|---|
Patient Selection
We consecutively enrolled 100 eligible patients with a diagnosis
of COPD as defined by the American Thoracic Society,19
who
were attending the outpatient pulmonary clinic at the Veterans
Administration Chicago Health Care System, Lakeside Division. Inclusion
criteria for COPD patients consisted of (1) age
50 years, (2)
30 pack-year smoking history, and (3) abnormal findings on
pulmonary function tests (PFTs) demonstrating nonreversible airways
obstruction based on American Thoracic Society criteria (< 200 mL and
12% improvement in FEV1 or FVC after inhaling
albuterol).20
To meet the criteria for COPD, the
FEV1 and the FEV1/FVC had
to be
70% of predicted.21
Exclusion criteria included
the following: (1) respiratory disorders other than COPD; (2) normal
PFT results after bronchodilator therapy; (3) known esophageal disease
such as cancer, achalasia, stricture; (4) active peptic ulcer disease;
(5) Zollinger-Ellison syndrome; (6) mastocytosis; (7) scleroderma; or
(8) current abuse of alcohol (more than three alcoholic drinks a day).
Control Group
The control group included patients attending general medicine
clinics at the same institution who denied having respiratory symptoms
such as dyspnea or chronic sputum production, or had a previous
diagnosis of asthma or COPD or any respiratory illnesses.
Protocol
Both COPD patients and control subjects completed a modified
version of a previously validated, self-reported questionnaire
developed by Locke and associates22
at the Mayo Clinic.
This questionnaire is simple, understandable, and well accepted by
patients. Our modified version contained 50 of the 80 original
questions. The first 33 questions examined four symptoms in detail:
heartburn, acid regurgitation, dysphagia, and chronic cough. The first
question for each symptom served as a branch point, such that subjects
who indicated "no" proceeded to the next symptom. The next two
questions for each symptom addressed the frequency and severity of the
symptom in the last year. Further questions assessed specific
attributes of each symptom. Eight questions were added to assess the
effect of heartburn and acid regurgitation on shortness of breath,
cough, wheezing, and increased inhaler use. The remainder of the
questions assessed patients demographic data, alcohol use, smoking
history, use of over-the-counter antacids, and prescription antireflux
medications. The terminology of the questionnaire was understandable at
a fourth-grade reading level. In general, the questionnaires were
completed in < 20 min.
The study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of
Northwestern University and the Veterans Administration Chicago
Healthcare System, Lakeside Division.
Statistical Analysis
Statistical analysis consisted of t tests for
comparing continuous variables between two groups. The associations
between binary variables were tested using
2.
These associations were verified by using Bonferronis multiple
comparison adjustments.
 |
Results
|
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The demographic data of the 100 consecutively eligible patients
with COPD and the 51 control subjects are presented in Table 1
. All control subjects and 99 of 100 COPD patients were men. COPD
patients and control subjects were matched for body mass index and
alcohol consumption. Patients in the COPD group were slightly older
than control subjects (mean age [± SD], 69.8 ± 7.6 years vs
65.8 ± 12.7 years, respectively; p = 0.04). As expected, the
smoking pack-year exposures were greater in the COPD group (87 ± 49
pack-years vs 50 ± 43 pack-years; p < 0.001). The pack-year data
were obtained by multiplying years of smoking by number of packs of
cigarettes used per day. Coffee consumption was also greater in COPD
patients, as compared to control subjects (2.3 ± 2.3 cups per day vs
1.4 ± 1.5 cups per day; p = 0.01). The was no significant
difference in the amount of smoking, coffee, and alcohol consumption
between the 19 COPD patients with significant GER symptoms and the 81
COPD patients without GER symptoms.
Figure 1
summarizes the data concerning the prevalence of significant heartburn
and/or regurgitation (once or more per week), chronic cough, and
dysphagia. The prevalence of infrequent heartburn (less than once per
week) was similar among patients with COPD and control subjects (26%
and 25%, respectively; p = 0.95). However, COPD patients had an
increased prevalence of infrequent regurgitation as compared to control
subjects (29% vs 10%; p = 0.01), significant heartburn and/or
regurgitation (19% vs 0%; p < 0.001), dysphagia (17% vs 3%;
p < 0.02), and chronic cough (32% vs 9%; p < 0.03). None of the
patients with significant GER symptoms were current smokers. These
results suggest that GER symptoms were more common in veterans with
COPD, compared to a control-patient cohort attending internal medicine
clinics.

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Figure 1. Higher prevalence of significant GER symptoms in
patients with COPD. The prevalence of significant GER symptoms
(heartburn and/or regurgitation once or more per week), chronic cough,
and dysphagia in patients with COPD (gray bars) are compared to control
subjects (open bars). GER symptoms were assessed by a modified version
of the Mayo Clinic GER questionnaire (see "Materials and Methods"
section). *p < 0.05 COPD patients vs control subjects.
|
|
Measures of spirometry and lung volume were similar among the 19
patients with COPD and significant GER symptoms and the 81 patients
with COPD without significant GER symptoms, as shown in Table 2
. By comparison, Table 3
and Figure 2
illustrate that significant GER symptoms were more prevalent in
patients with FEV1
50%, compared to
FEV1 > 50% without achieving statistical
significance (24% vs 9%; p = 0.08). Thus, the results suggest that
patients with more severe COPD may also have more frequent symptoms of
GER.
Reflux-Associated Respiratory Symptoms and Inhaler Use
Among the 19 patients with significant GER symptoms, 5 patients
(26%) reported increased respiratory symptoms (eg, cough,
shortness of breath, or increased wheezing) associated with heartburn
and/or acid regurgitation (Fig 3
). Of the five patients with worse reflux-associated respiratory
symptoms, four patients noted increased use of
ß2-agonist inhalers when they experienced
reflux symptoms. Among control subjects, no association between
respiratory symptoms and reflux events was detected. Thus, these
results suggest a greater association between reflux events and the
worsening of respiratory symptoms in COPD.

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Figure 3. Proportion of COPD patients with significant GER
symptoms who reported increased respiratory symptoms associated with
reflux events. A total of 19 patients with COPD reported significant
GER symptoms on the modified version of the Mayo Clinic GER
questionnaire (see "Materials and Methods" section). Five of these
patients (26%) reported increased respiratory symptoms, such as
wheezing, shortness of breath, and/or cough associated with reflux
events.
|
|
Antacids and Antireflux Medication Use
Next, we assessed the prevalence of acid-suppressive medication
use in these two groups. Data in Figure 4
indicate that the use of any antireflux medication was greater in COPD
patients than in control subjects (50% vs 27%, respectively;
p = 0.008). Among patients with COPD, 43% reported using
over-the-counter antacids (excluding over-the-counter histamine
2-receptor antagonists [H2-RAs]) at least once
a week, compared to 25% in control subjects (p < 0.05). Proton pump
inhibitors (PPIs) and H2-RAs were used in 28
patients with COPD (6 patients and 22 patients, respectively). Of these
28 patients, only 12 patients were receiving PPI and
H2-RA medications for GER disease. The rest were
either treated for inactive peptic ulcer disease or other reasons
(eg, empiric therapy, gastritis). Only three of the control
subjects (5.7%) were receiving H2-RA or PPI
therapy, and none had significant GER symptoms. Taken together, these
results indicate that the use of acid-suppressive medication was
greater in COPD patients, compared to control subjects in outpatient
clinics at a veterans hospital. This finding supports the increased
prevalence of GER symptoms in patients with COPD.

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Figure 4. Higher use of antireflux medications by COPD
patients. The proportion of patients with COPD (gray bars) compared to
control subjects (open bars) receiving over-the-counter antacids once
or more per week, daily H2-RAs, or PPI therapy is
indicated. Some patients were receiving multiple therapeutic regimens
(eg, antacids and other prescription strength antireflux
medications). *p < 0.05 COPD patients vs control subjects.
|
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Intensive Therapy of GER Symptoms
Nine patients who had significant respiratory and GER symptoms
were receiving a medical regimen (five patients were receiving
H2-RAs, and four patients were receiving PPIs)
and were considered treatment failures. Two of nine patients agreed to
receive high-dose PPI: lansoprazole, 30 mg bid for 1 month,
followed by repeat PFTs and completion of the GER questionnaire. In
both patients, GER symptoms and chronic cough resolved with no change
in PFT results.
 |
Discussion
|
|---|
The goals of this study were to determine the prevalence of GER
symptoms in patients with COPD and to address the relationship between
severity of airways obstruction and GER symptoms. The most important
finding of this study is that significant GER symptoms (heartburn
and/or acid regurgitation once or more per week) are more prevalent in
patients with COPD when compared with control subjects at the same
institution. We utilized a GER symptoms questionnaire that accurately
reflects the presence of GER disease.22
The utility of
this questionnaire is supported by the finding that heartburn and acid
regurgitation are specific symptoms of GER.23
We also
noted a trend toward a direct relationship between the severity
of airways obstruction as detected by FEV1 and
GER symptoms.
Previous survey studies3
4
5
have reported that 10 to 19%
of the general population have weekly GER symptoms. This prevalence is
similar to our patients with COPD. In fact, none of the 51 control
subjects reported significant GER symptoms (once or more per week). The
reason for this discrepancy is not clear. Results from Locke et
al4
suggest that symptoms of GER disease decrease as
patients age. Therefore, it is possible that either GER was more severe
in patients with COPD or that the threshold for sensing reflux events
was lower, compared to age-matched control subjects. In addition,
patients with COPD consumed more coffee than control subjects
(2.3 ± 2.3 cups per day vs 1.4 ± 1.5 cups per day; p = 0.01).
One of the limitations of our study is the skewed population in which
the results were obtained. Our study primarily involved elderly male
veterans. It is difficult to rule out occult COPD in the control
subjects because none of them underwent PFTs and many had significant
smoking histories. However, all control subjects were asymptomatic
without a known history of lung disease.
The prevalence of GER symptoms in patients with COPD has not been well
established previously. In this study, we demonstrated that significant
GER symptoms occur in 19% of patients with COPD, considerably less
than in previous reports6
7
8
in patients with asthma (39
to 70%). The significant difference in prevalence could in part be
explained by differences in the questionnaires. The prevalence of
dysphagia in our population was similar to the prevalence reported in
asthmatics (17% vs 24%, respectively).6
To our
knowledge, this is the first study attempting to establish a
relationship between the severity of COPD based on
FEV1 with the severity of reflux symptoms. We
observed a trend toward a higher prevalence of GER symptoms in patients
with an FEV1
50% of predicted (severe COPD),
as compared to those with an FEV1 > 50%. It is
possible that a larger study may confirm this observation and reach
statistical significance.
There are several mechanisms by which GER can induce symptoms in
patients with COPD and asthma. One mechanism suggests that reflux
induces microaspiration, whereas other studies suggest that acid
reflux induces reflex bronchoconstriction.9
10
Severe hyperinflation, vigorous cough, and bronchospasm may increase
intra-abdominal pressure and change the relationship between the
diaphragm and lower esophageal sphincter, possibly decreasing
diaphragmatic contribution to sphincter tone and thereby promoting
reflux of gastric contents.6
9
24
25
26
Medications such as
ß2-agonists, anticholinergics, and theophylline
may increase GER by lowering esophageal sphincter
pressure.27
28
However, results of several
studies29
30
31
have questioned the association between
reflux and these medications. Furthermore, several
studies17
18
have demonstrated that esophageal acid
perfusion does not induce bronchoconstriction in patients with COPD.
It has been difficult to demonstrate if GER triggers
bronchoconstriction.17
18
32
33
A recent critical
review34
of the effects of both simulated or real GER on
pulmonary function in adult asthmatic patients failed to demonstrate a
direct relationship. However, asthmatics with GER do report
reflux-associated dyspnea,6
and this phenomenon has been
reported35
in nonasthmatics with normal PFT and
methacholine challenge findings. It is possible that symptoms of
dyspnea occur without significant worsening in PFT results.
Reflux-associated dyspnea may increase minute ventilation, promoting
air trapping and hyperinflation in patients with obstructive airways
disease who have expiratory limitation to airflow. However, the
mechanism whereby reflux causes dyspnea has not been fully elucidated.
In summary, significant GER symptoms are more prevalent in patients
with COPD, as compared to control subjects. There was a trend toward
higher prevalence of GER symptoms in patients with more severe airways
obstruction as detected by FEV1. However, the PFT
results were similar in COPD patients with and without GER symptoms.
Thus, the data suggest that COPD may increase GER symptoms in this
study population. Although GER symptoms are commonly associated with
asthma and COPD, an important causal relationship has not been fully
elucidated.
 |
Footnotes
|
|---|
Abbreviations: GER = gastroesophageal reflux;
H2-RA = histamine 2-receptor antagonists;
PFT = pulmonary function test; PPI = proton pump inhibitor
Drs. Barrett and Kamp are senior authors of this article.
Received for publication December 29, 1999.
Accepted for publication November 1, 2000.
 |
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|
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S. Teramoto, H. Kume, Y. Ouchi, and B. Mokhlesi
Altered Swallowing Physiology and Aspiration in COPD
Chest,
September 1, 2002;
122(3):
1104 - 1105.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
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S. K. Field and W. W. Flemons
Is the Relationship Between Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Gastroesophageal Reflux Clinically Important?
Chest,
June 1, 2002;
121(6):
1730 - 1733.
[Full Text]
[PDF]
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A. Valipour, H. K. Makker, R. Hardy, S. Emegbo, T. Toma, and S. G. Spiro
Symptomatic Gastroesophageal Reflux in Subjects With a Breathing Sleep Disorder*
Chest,
June 1, 2002;
121(6):
1748 - 1753.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
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B. Mokhlesi, J. A. Logemann, A. W. Rademaker, C. A. Stangl, and T. C. Corbridge
Oropharyngeal Deglutition in Stable COPD
Chest,
February 1, 2002;
121(2):
361 - 369.
[Abstract]
[Full Text]
[PDF]
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