Assessment of treatment response in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux.

Abstract

To evaluate treatment response in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). A prospective study of 100 patients with voice disorders was conducted. Patients were evaluated using reflux symptom index (RSI) and reflux finding score (RFS) by 70° rigid laryngoscope. Patients with RFS score of 7 or more were diagnosed of having LPR and were started with anti-reflux therapy for a period of 6months. Patients were assessed at regular intervals using RSI and RFS. The prevalence of LPR in patients with voice disorders was found to be 25%. The mean RSI score improved gradually and significantly over a period of 6months from 11.84 at presentation to 2.04 after 6months of treatment (p value<0.001). The mean value of RFS improved from 7.92 at entry to 1.52 after 6months of treatment (p value<0.001). However, it was found that the improvement was not significant at end of first month of treatment, and improvement in RSI and RFS scores was found only after 2months of treatment. RSI and RFS improve significantly after treatment for 6months with PPI like Omeprazole. But the improvement starts from the 2nd month from the onset of treatment. Treatment of LPR for at least 6months may be indicated to attain a full resolution of physical findings.