RESULTS
A total of 2500 patients had voice and throat complaints for more than a
month in the department of Otorhinolaryngology at Ekenywa Specialised
Hospital where 800 (32.0%) were male and 1700 (68.0%) were females.
Out of the 2500, 1520 (60.8%) patients were found to have a RSI of
>13. Out of the 1520 patients subjected to 70-degree
laryngoscopy, 1425 patients (95%) were found to have a RFS
>7. Of the 1425 patients with RFS >7, 1165
were females (81.8%) and 260 were males (18.2%). (Table 3).
Regarding symptoms reported by patients with LPRD as per RSI and RFS,
the most common symptom from RSI was sensation of a lump or foreign body
in the throat, followed by excess throat mucus and throat clearing and
episodes of cough following eating or lying down. The most common sign
noted on RFS was hyperemia/erythema of the endolarynx, followed by thick
endolaryngeal mucus and posterior commissure hypertrophy.
Upon scheduled follow up at the clinic, majority of the patients showed
improvement in RFS scores in the first month of initiation of treatment
for LPRD. Out of 1425 patients only 15 patients (1.05%) failed to show
any improvement after three-months therapy comprising proton pump
inhibitors (PPIs) and antacid twice daily. Those with refractory
response to the scheduled regimen for LPRD were counseled to undergo
esophagogastroduodenoscopy and were then treated accordingly by
specialists including medical and surgical gastroenterologists.