Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease, prevalence and clinical characteristics in ENT department of a tertiary hospital Tanzania

Willybroad A Massawe; Aslam Nkya; Zefania Saitabau Abraham; Kassim M Babu; Ndeserua Moshi; Aveline A Kahinga; Daudi Ntunaguzi; Enica R Massawe

doi:10.1016/j.wjorl.2020.04.009

Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease, prevalence and clinical characteristics in ENT department of a tertiary hospital Tanzania

World J Otorhinolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2020 Aug 26;7(1):28-33. doi: 10.1016/j.wjorl.2020.04.009. eCollection 2021 Jan.

Authors

Willybroad A Massawe¹, Aslam Nkya², Zefania Saitabau Abraham³, Kassim M Babu², Ndeserua Moshi², Aveline A Kahinga², Daudi Ntunaguzi², Enica R Massawe²

Affiliations

¹ ENT Department, Muhimbili National Hospital, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
² ENT Department, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Science, Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.
³ Department of Surgery, University of Dodoma, College of Health and Allied Sciences, Tanzania.

Abstract

Background: Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) is a condition with nonspecific symptoms and most of times patients present late with advanced disease which may predispose to malignancy. The magnitude and clinical characteristics of this condition are not well known among patients attending Otorhinolaryngology services in Tanzania.

Materials and methods: This was a hospital based descriptive cross sectional study, conducted in the wards and clinics of Otorhinolaryngology department of Muhimbili National Hospital. Patients with symptoms of Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease were included in the study. Data was collected using questionnaires and clinical examination forms, were processed and analysed by using SPSS. Results presented in frequency tables, cross tabulations and figures.

Results: This study recruited 256 participants among them males were 131(51.2%).The mean age was (41.38 ± 13.94) years. Prevalence of Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease was 18.4% without gender predilection. The commonest symptoms were globus sensation, hoarseness of voice and excessive urge to clear the throat with 95.7%, 88.1% and 83.0% respectively while the most observed signs were thick endolaryngeal mucus, Vocal cord oedema and partial ventricular obliteration with 90.9%, 88.6% and 72.7% respectively. Lying down less than two hours after meal and spices foods consumption were the leading risk factors. Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus type 2 were the most prevalent co morbid conditions associated with Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease.

Conclusion: The prevalence of Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease is high among patients attending Otorhinolaryngology services at Muhimbili national hospital. All patients with Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease related symptoms should get thorough evaluation for early diagnosis and treatment.

Keywords: Laryngopharyngeal reflux disease; Reflux finding score; Reflux scoring index; Tertiary hospital.