CHRONIC LARYNGITIS AND GASTROESOPHAGEAL R EFLUX

Background: Evaluation of the effectiveness of omeprazole therapy in r egard to chronic laryngitis. Patients and method: Prospective study wi th 50 patients suffering from chronic laryngitis of unknown etiology t reated by an outdoor-ENT-specialist. The patients were treated by omep razole 20 mg/d. Subjective complaints and laryngoscopic findings were documented before, during and up to one month after therapy. Results: 80% of patients were free of complaints or showed major improvement. T he vocal cords were laryngoscopically normal or showed an major improv ement in 72%. Complaints and laryngoscopic finding remain stable in th e first 4 weeks after the end of therapy. Conclusions: More often than supposed an esophageal reflux causes a chronic laryngitis. Therefore a probatory treatment with omeprazole is justified in absence of other causes (>>refluxlaryngitis<<).