Clinical and Acoustical Voice Quality Evolutions Throughout Empirical Treatment for Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease According to Gender: A Preliminary Study.

OBJECTIVE

To compare symptoms, signs, and acoustical voice quality changes throughout the 6-month course of empirical treatment between laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) males and females.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Forty clinically diagnosed LPR females and 40 males with a reflux finding score (RFS) >7 and a reflux symptom index (RSI) >13 were treated with pantoprazole and diet recommendations during 3 or 6 months according to their evolution. RSI, RFS, and acoustic parameters were assessed at baseline and 3 and 6 months posttreatment. A correlation analysis between videolaryngostroboscopic findings and acoustic measurements was performed.

RESULTS

RSI, RFS, and many acoustic measurements (i.e., percent jitter, percent shimmer, phonatory fundamental frequency range, fundamental frequency variation, and peak-to-peak amplitude variation) significantly improved from baseline to 3 months posttreatment in male group. In female group, RSI and RFS total score significantly improved along the 3 first months of treatment. However, some clinical outcomes (i.e., RSI total score, hoarseness, cough, and globus) continued to improve from 3 to 6 months of treatment. We did not identify significant improvement of acoustic measurements in female group. The correlation study did not reveal significant correlation between videolaryngostroboscopic findings and acoustic measurements.

CONCLUSION

This preliminary study suggests the occurrence of gender-related differences in the LPR therapeutic response. Further studies need to clarify whether females require a longer course of therapy than males.