How can acid reflux cause wheeze?
We have all drank something too fast and had it “go down the wrong pipe,” leading to cough and a brief choking sensation. Fortunately, our bodies have very effective mechanisms of keeping things we are trying to swallow from going into our lungs. This is due to the fact that the area around the vocal cords, the “doorway” to the windpipe and lungs, is extremely sensitive to stimulation by anything other than air, such as liquid or food. When this happens, we have a brisk cough reflex, which clears anything that is “getting too close” to the lungs. This reflex, which connects the back of the throat to the lungs and diaphragm, has related connections between the larynx and breathing tubes. In some individuals, particularly asthmatics, stimulation of the laryngeal area not only leads to cough but can lead to reflex narrowing of the airways deeper in the lungs. In asthmatics, this causes wheeze. Individuals with acid reflux or GERD, for a variety of reasons (type of food intake, obesity, ti
