Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in chronic laryngitis: prevalence and response to acid-suppressive therapy

BACKGROUND: Gastro-oesophageal reflux is thought to cause chronic laryngitis through laryngopharyngeal reflux. Response of laryngitis to treatment with acid-suppressive therapy supports this causal link. AIM: To determine the prevalence of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease in patients with chronic laryngitis and response to proton-pump inhibitor therapy. METHODS: Patients with chronic laryngitis were recruited. The frequency and severity of reflux and laryngeal symptoms were scored and laryngitis graded by laryngoscopy. All patients underwent esophagogastroduodenoscopy and 24-h ambulatory pH monitoring before receiving lansoprazole 30 mg b.d. for 8 weeks. RESULTS: The prevalence of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease was 65.6% (21 of 32). Based on positive pH test, the prevalence was 25% (eight of 32). The change in laryngeal symptom score and laryngitis grade was significantly higher in GERD compared with non-GERD patients (P = 0.010 for both). The proportion of patients with marked/moderate improvement in laryngeal symptoms were significantly higher in patients with reflux (14 of 21, 67%) compared to those without reflux (two of 11, 18%; P = 0.026). CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease amongst our patients with chronic laryngitis was high. The response to treatment with proton-pump inhibitors in patients with reflux disease compared to those without underlined the critical role of acid reflux in a subset of patients with chronic laryngitis.