“Prevalence and risk factors of laryngitis among suspected patients attending otolaryngology department of a tertiary care hospital”

Introduction: Laryngitis, also known as laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPR) refers to the inflammation of the laryngeal mucosa with resulting dysphonia, and pain or discomfort in the anterior neck. Common symptoms of laryngeal inflammation are voice changes, early vocal fatigue, or a dry cough. This study aimed to identify the risk factors and prevalence of laryngitis among suspected patients attending the otolaryngology department for early diagnosis and management. Methods: This was a retrospective study conducted in the Department of Otolaryngology (ENT), Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University, Dhaka, Bangladesh, from March 2024 to August 2024. In this study, we included 100 patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux symptoms irrespective of gender attending the ENT department at our institution. Result: Out of 100 patients, the age group between 21 and 30 years was most commonly seen with a mean age of 37.39±18.92 years. Most of our study patients (62%) were male and 38% were female. The most common presenting symptoms were hoarseness of voice (86%), chronic cough (34%), thyroid swelling (27%), and vocal fatigue (21%). Most of our study patients (32%) had growth supraglottic, and growth laryngopharynx (29%). The prevalence of Laryngitis was 72% followed by left vocal cords nodule (12%) and left & right vocal cord polyps (5%). Smoking (42%) and vocal abuse (28%) were the most common risk factors. Conclusion: The findings show that Laryngitis is highly prevalent among patients attending ORL services at our study institution. The most common presenting symptoms were hoarseness of voice, chronic cough, thyroid swelling, and vocal fatigue.