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The prevalence of laryngopharyngeal reflux in the English population

  • Laryngology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Although symptoms of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) symptoms are commonly seen in the ENT clinic, their aetiology and prevalence in the population remain unknown. Lifestyle changes have been seen to be effective in symptom relief. We aimed to establish the prevalence of these symptoms and identify any associated factors. Pseudo-random sampling was performed on 2,000 adults that were sent a validated questionnaire containing the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) and questions on their health and lifestyle. 45.8 % of the 378 responders were male. The mean RSI was 8.3. 30 % had an RSI of more than 10, of which 75 % had symptoms of gastro-oesophageal reflux disease (r = 0.646 at p = 0.01). Patients with depression and irritable bowel syndrome are more likely to have LPR symptoms. LPR symptoms are highly prevalent in the community and may be influenced significantly by the presence of gastro-oesophageal reflux, depression and irritable bowel syndrome.

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Conflict of interest

This study and its authors have no financial disclosures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Queen’s Medical Centre, Nottingham, UK

    Tawakir Kamani

  2. Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Manchester, UK

    Susannah Penney

  3. Department of Radiology, Southampton General Hospital, Southampton, UK

    Indu Mitra

  4. Department of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Albert Edward Infirmary, Wigan, UK

    Vijay Pothula

Authors
  1. Tawakir Kamani
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  2. Susannah Penney
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  3. Indu Mitra
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  4. Vijay Pothula
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Correspondence to Tawakir Kamani.

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Kamani, T., Penney, S., Mitra, I. et al. The prevalence of laryngopharyngeal reflux in the English population. Eur Arch Otorhinolaryngol 269, 2219–2225 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-012-2028-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00405-012-2028-1

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