[Prevalence of supraesophageal manifestations in patients with gastroesophageal erosive and non-erosive reflux disease]

Signs and symptoms of laryngopharyngeal reflux and its relation to complaints and vocal quality

PURPOSE

To verify the association between laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) with age, gender, vocal deviation and voice complaints.

METHODS

The study included patients between 18 and 70 years old, referred to the Otorhinolaryngology service for complaints of voice or reflux, of both sexes. Endolaryngeal findings were classified using the Reflux Finding Score (RFS) scale. The presence or absence of vocal and reflux complaints was verified and correlated with the RFS classification. On the same date, they were submitted to sustained vowel voice recording and chained speech. The auditory-perceptual assessment was performed by a speech therapist, classifying the general degree of vocal deviation based on the GRBASI scale.

RESULTS

Ninety-seven patients were evaluated, with a mean age of 42. 6 years, 62. 3% female, and mean RFS scores of 6. 26 points. Among the patients, 48 subjects had vocal complaints, 34 women with a mean age of 44. 9 years and an average RFS score of 6. 94 points. The other 49 individuals had no vocal complaints, and of these 27 were women, with a mean age of 41. 2 years and a mean RFS score of 5. 5 points. The variables "reflux complaint", "vocal complaint" and age were the ones that most correlated with the RFS scale scores.

CONCLUSION

There is a relationship among reflux complaints, laryngeal findings and vocal complaint.

Relationship between the presence of videolaryngoscopic signs suggestive of laryngopharyngeal reflux and voice disorders in teachers

OBJECTIVE

To analyze the relationship between the presence of videolaryngoscopic signs suggestive of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and voice disorder (VD) in teachers.

METHODS

this is a cross-sectional study with convenience sample and inclusion criteria as subjects 18 years or older, be a teacher female, seek care with complaint of VD and/or LPR. The exclusion criteria included smoking and presence of respiratory changes. All subjects concluded the following instruments: Vocal Production Condition - Teacher (VPC-T), including the Screening Index for Voice Disorder (SIVD); and Voice Handicap Index (VHI). Speech samples were collected for voice perceptual assessment and all of them were submitted to otorhinolaryngology review.

RESULTS

We evaluated 121 teachers, with a mean age of 43 years and 7.8 class hours per day. Only 24.0% of the teachers did not have vocal cord lesions and 42.1% had videolaryngoscopic signs suggestive of LPR. In the group of teachers with presence of Signs suggestive of LPR, the most common symptoms of SIVD were dry throat, hoarseness, throat clearing; the average VHI was 17.9 points. There was no association between voice disorder and presence of videolaryngoscopic signs suggestive of LPR. The independent factors for the LPR in the multiple binary logistic regression analysis were age and VHI score (tertile: 13-20).

CONCLUSION

There was no association between VD and LPR, but between age and VHI score.

Respiratory and laryngeal symptoms secondary to gastro-oesophageal reflux

Gastro-oesophageal reflux may cause a range of laryngeal and respiratory symptoms. Mechanisms responsible include the proximal migration of gastric refluxate beyond the upper oesophageal sphincter causing direct irritation of the larynx and lower airway. Alternatively, refluxate entering the distal oesophagus alone may stimulate oesophageal sensory nerves and indirectly activate airway reflexes such as cough and bronchospasm. Recognising reflux as a cause for these extraoesophageal symptoms can be difficult as many patients do not have typical oesophageal symptoms (eg, heartburn) and clinical findings on laryngoscopy are not very specific. Acid suppression remains an effective treatment in the majority of patients but there is growing appreciation of the need to consider and treat non-acid and volume reflux. New opinions about the role of existing medical and surgical (laparoscopic techniques) treatment are emerging and a number of novel anti-reflux treatments are under development.