Prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease in patients with laryngeal and voice disorders.

OBJECTIVE

To determine the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) for the management of patients with laryngeal and voice disorders.

METHODS

This study consisted of 30 patients from Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) and Phoniatric outpatient clinics at Al-Noor Specialist Hospital in Holy Makkah, Saudi Arabia complaining of laryngeal symptoms mainly dysphonia, during one year period from May 2005 to May 2006. All patients were subjected to: voice evaluation, which include searching for etiological factors, auditory perceptual assessment (APA), laryngeal examination and upper gastrointestinal tract (GIT) endoscopy.

RESULTS

The onset of complaint of voice changes was gradual (93%), the duration was more than 6 months (90%) and the course was intermittent in 43% of patients. Phonasthenia symptoms were common. The change of voice was mainly due to high vocal demand (63.3%), tense temperament (93.3%) and spicy foods (60%). The grade of dysphonia was slight in 50% of patients, the characters of voice were mainly strained and leaky (76.7%) and the pitch was mainly decreasing (56.7%). Hyperfunctional dysphonia was present in 26.7% of patients, phonasthenia in 16.7%, vocal fold (VF) polyp in 13.3% and contact granuloma in 6.7%. Presence of GERD with hiatus hernia in 63.3% of patients, GERD with acute gastritis and duodenitis in 10% and incompetent lower esophagus in 6.67%.

CONCLUSION

Laryngeal and voice disorders was mostly due to GERD in 80% of patients, which was mainly GERD with hiatus hernia.