Pharyngeal acid reflux in patients with single and multiple otolaryngologic disorders

OBJECTIVE: This study was designed to determine the prevalence and characte ristics of pharyngeal acid reflux (PAR) events in single and multiple otola ryngologic disorders. METHODS: Sixty-seven patients with otolaryngologic symptoms and objective f indings and 34 healthy control subjects were studied with an ambulatory 24- hour, 3-site pharyngoesophageal pH monitoring technique. Otolaryngologic di agnosis included isolated posterior laryngitis (PL) in 28 patients, isolate d chronic rhinosinusitis (SIN) in 12, combined PL and SIN (PL+SIN) in 6, PL plus laryngotracheal stenosis (PL+LTS) in 12, and PL plus vocal cord nodul es (PL+VCN) in 9. RESULTS: PAR events were documented in 68% of patients with PL, 34% of pati ents with SIN, 67% of patients with PL+SIN, 67% of patients with PL+LTS, 78 % of patients with PL+VCN, and 21% of controls. The prevalence of PAR event s in patients with isolated PL as well as those with PL combined with other disorders was significantly higher than that in patients without PL and th at in controls. As a group, patients with PL had a greater number of PAR ev ents and acid exposure time than other patients and controls. Distal and pr oximal esophageal reflux parameters were not significantly different among groups. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of PAR is significantly higher in patients with isolated PL compared to patients with other isolated otolaryngologic disor ders and in controls. The prevalence of PAR in isolated otolaryngologic dis orders other than PL is similar to that in healthy controls. The prevalence of PAR is significantly higher in patients with both PL and other otolaryn gologic disorders than in controls and in patients with isolated otolaryngo logic disorders.