All issues > Volume 35(4); 1992

Case Report

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1992;35(4):556-562. Published online April 15, 1992.

A Case of Chronic Recurrent Obstructive Bronchitis Associated with Gastro-Esophageal Reflux

Myung Hee MH Min¹, Sang Soo SS Roh¹, Sang Il SI Lee¹, Sang Woo SW Kim¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Inje University, Seoul, Korea

Abstract

It has been well established that the gastroesophageal reflux and chronic respiratory problem were closely related. Several reports in pediatric literature have implicated the aspiration of gasrtric contents as a trigger factor of cough, wheezing, and recurrent pulmonary disease. Several possible mechanisms have been proposed whereby acidic gastric content can trigger bronchospasm and, in turn, bronchospams can trigger gastroesopohageal reflux. Several tests, including radioisotope scintiscan and esophageal acid monitoring and manometry, have been tried to detect of gastroesophageal reflux, but esophageal reflux has remained as a difficult clinical diagnosis to establish. Therefore, gastroesophageal reflux should be considered as a possible cause or contributing factor in any child with severe asthma or recurrent pneumonias or both. We experienced a 5-year-old boy who suffered from recurrent pneumonia and wheezing for three years after the esophageal reconstruction surgery. He took barium esophagogram 3 times and radioisotope scintiscan twice. These revealed no remarkable reflux but his esophageal motility and clearance were markedly delayed. Respiratory symptoms were not improved with the conventional treatment at the beginning. After the combination of antireflux therapy, those symptoms had been subsided and he became quite normal.

Keywords :Gastroesophageal reflux, Recurrent pneumonia, Refractory asthma