title: Experimental pulmonary fibrosis in rats with chronic gastric acid reflux esophagitis.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To elucidate the association between gastric acid reflux and respiratory diseases by studying the histological changes of the lower airway in rats with chronic acid reflux esophagitis.
  
  
  METHODS
  An experimental rat model of chronic acid reflux esophagitis was surgically created. The lower airways of these rats were histologically observed for more than 50 weeks.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although there were no histological changes which induced gastric acid reflux at 10 weeks after surgery, thickening of the basal laminae and the proliferation of the collagenous fibers were observed in the alveolar epithelium at 20 weeks after surgery. At 50 weeks after surgery, the collagenous fibers obliterated the pulmonary alveoli and bronchial lumen. These findings observed in the GERD rats are similar to the pathological findings of human pulmonary fibrosis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In this study, we reported pathological changes in the lower airways of GERD rat models observed for more than 50 weeks. These results suggest that gastric acid reflux may be one of the pathogenic or exacerbating factors of pulmonary fibrosis.
authors: Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849 8501, Japan. Electronic address: shimazu@cc.saga-u.ac.jp.
authors: Rintaro
authors: R
authors: Shimazu
authors: Department of Pathology and Microbiology, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849 8501, Japan.
authors: Shigehisa
authors: S
authors: Aoki
authors: Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Faculty of Medicine, Saga University, 5-1-1 Nabeshima, Saga 849 8501, Japan.
authors: Yuichiro
authors: Y
authors: Kuratomi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004942:Esophagitis, Peptic / Q000150:complications*; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000150:complications*; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D011658:Pulmonary Fibrosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020545:Respiratory Mucosa / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Aspiration pneumonia; Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD); Larynx; Pharynx; Pulmonary fibrosis