Laryngopharyngeal Reflux in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery Clinic: An Epidemiological Survey

<b>Background and Objectives:</b> Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) has been implicated in the etiology of many laryngeal disorders and is also closely related to the occurrence and progression of a variety of throat diseases, including chronic cough, leukoplakia of the larynx, dysphonia, and even laryngeal tumors. LPRD can significantly reduce the quality of life of patients and cause substantial medical and economic burdens to the society. Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), a self-administered 9-item outcomes instrument for laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), has been widely used to screen for LPRD, but there is a lack of feasibility studies on the use of RSI for LPRD screening and alternative diagnostic tools in otolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) clinics. To study the incidence, clinical characteristics, diagnostic status, and influencing factors of LPRD at OHNS clinics, RSI as an alternative diagnostic tool has also been studied. LPRD was defined as RSI > 13. <b>Methods:</b> Systematic collection of data by the RSI questionnaire was used to identify patients in the outpatient clinic suffering from LPRD; in addition, the personal history of participants was collected. Follow-up observation was carried out for 6 months for patients with suspected LPRD (RSI > 13), including whether they were treated with standardized anti-reflux therapy, and the questionnaire based on RSI was completed again after treatment. <b>Results:</b> The LPRD rate was 7.92% (94/1187) in this survey. The proportions of LPRD patients with smoking history (vs no smoking) and alcohol consumption history (vs. no alcohol consumption) were significantly higher (<i>χ</i>² values: 7.025 and 4.562, and <i>P</i> values: .008 and .033; respectively). Smoking significantly increased the risk of LPRD (OR: 2.140, 95% CI: 1.058-4.331, <i>P</i> = .034). Among patients with LPRD positive, the incidence of "foreign body sensation in the throat" (symptom 8) score equal to 5 was the highest (19.15%). The severity of "excess mucus in the throat or postnasal drip" (symptom 3) contributed mostly to the total RSI score in patients with LPRD (<i>r</i> = .409, <i>P</i> < .001). ROC curve analysis showed that RSI ≥ 14 had a sensitivity of 72.9% and a specificity of 71.4% for the diagnosis of LPRD, with AUC = 0.797 (95% CI: 0.577-0.884, <i>P</i> < .001). <b>Conclusions:</b> The incidence of LPRD was high in patients we examined in OHNS clinics. We recommend that RSI can be used by otolaryngologists as a reliable tool for screening and diagnosing LPRD in OHNS clinics, which is beneficial for clinical practice.