Reflux and laryngitis: a systematic review

Abstract

Objectives: To investigate and compare the prevalence of pharyngeal reflux (PR) events in normal controls and patients with clinically diagnosed reflux laryngitis.

Method: A systematic review of the literature was performed to identify all prospective studies on the results of 24-hour double-probe (pharyngeal and esophageal) pH monitoring in normal controls and in patients with symptoms and/or signs of reflux laryngitis.

Results: Eleven relevant studies on 192 normal controls and 13 studies on 512 patients with reflux laryngitis were identified. One or more PR events were detected in 51 normal controls (22.9%; 95% CI, 13.9% to 33.3%) and in 154 of 422 patients (38.3%; 95% CI, 25.4% to 52.1%). There is no significant difference in the prevalence of PR events between normal controls and patients with reflux laryngitis (P = 0.079). In addition, the prevalence of PR events in patients with reflux laryngitis is much lower than reported in previous reviews on this subject.

Conclusion: This systematic review calculated that (1) only a minority of patients with clinically diagnosed reflux laryngitis will show PR events, and (2) there is no significant difference between the prevalence of PR events in patients with reflux laryngitis and healthy controls. At the moment, there is no reliable means to confirm reflux of gastric juice in patients with suspected reflux laryngitis. This diagnostic vacuum is fundamental and may pose important questions at the current concept of reflux of gastric juice as a common cause of laryngopharyngeal inflammation.