[The clinical and endoscopic state of the esophagus in patients with asthma concurrent with chronic opisthorchiasis].

The frequency and pattern of manifestations of gastroesogageal reflux disease were studied in asthma concurrent with chronic opisthorchiasis. One hundred and fifty patients (52 males and 98 females) aged 14 to 60 years (mean age 43.18 +/- 10.6 years) who had atopic asthma of varying severity were examined. Group 1 comprised 74 asthmatic patients without opisthorchiasis; Group 2 included 76 asthmatic patients with opisthorchiasis; Group 3 consisted of 20 healthy individuals. According to the severity of asthma, all the patients from Group 1 and 2 were divided into 4 subgroups: mild, moderate, severe hormone-dependent and severe hormone-independent asthma. The patients with and without concurrent opisthorchiasis did not virtually differ in the severity pattern of asthma and its duration. Those with severe hormone-dependent asthma took systemic glucocorticosteroids in doses of not more than 15 mg/day. The scope of clinicoinstrumental and laboratory studies was determined by the presence of concurrent pathology: asthma and gastroduodenal diseases. Esophageal erosive lesions were encountered in a third of the asthmatic patients with opisthorchiasis and in every four patients in Group 1. In patients with severe asthma with and without opisthorchiasis, esophageal erosive lesions were revealed in 66.7%. The presence of concomitant Opisthorchis invasion in patients with asthma results in a significant increase in the clinical manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease and calls for the obligatory performance of therapy with antisecretory agents, prokinetics and necessitates dehelmintization during remitting asthma.