Abstract
Objectives To evaluate prospectively the progress of pharyngeal and esophageal symptoms in previously healthy subjects. Methods 33 healthy persons (mean 57 yrs) earlier included in a normative pH monitoring study were contacted. After a mean follow-up period of 13 years, the subjects completed 2 symptom questionnaires, Short Form 36, and ambulatory 24-hour pharyngeal and esophageal pH monitoring. Results 24 subjects, 9 males and 15 females (mean age, 57 years), completed the study. All subjects were symptom-free at baseline. At follow-up, 11 of the 24 (46%) subjects (p=0.001) reported typical reflux symptoms, e.g. heartburn or regurgitation, of mild to moderate severity. Extraesophageal symptoms occurring at least 1–2 days/week developed across time in 10 of the 24 (42%) subjects. The most common symptoms were throat clearing, excessive phlegm, and daytime cough, in that order. There was no statistically significant correlation between reflux parameters and the occurrence of symptoms (p>0.01). The esophageal, or airway symptoms, or combination of them were similar among persons with and without LPR at baseline and at the follow-up. The perceived health by 10 subjects who had upper airway symptoms at follow-up, or those 8 subjects who had pharyngeal reflux at follow-up, as reflected by the domain specific and summary SF-36 scores, was not significantly different from the age- and gender-matched randomly selected sample from the Swedish normative database. Conclusions The increase in the upper airway as well as esophageal symptoms across time is not correlated to perceived health, or increase in the occurrence of reflux.
Published Version
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