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Throat Problems

 

Chest Pain Throat Problems Reflux in Children Asthmatic Bronchitis Reflux-It's Not Just Heartburn

There is also the group of patients that primarily present with hoarseness and sore throat. Laryngo Pharyngeal Reflux or LPR is the designation given these patients with predominantly throat and upper respiratory symptoms. In addition to hoarseness and sore throat these patients have a feeling of a lump in the throat, too much mucous in the throat secondary to sinusitis, chronic cough, trouble swallowing and a surprisingly large number of these patients give a history of polyps of the nose. Some patients with LPR have a lot of heartburn while others, about half of them, have very little heartburn or only a history of heartburn in the past with loss of the heartburn coinciding with the advent of the predominantly upper respiratory symptoms.

LPR syndrome patients who have no history of heartburn are those who have only minute amounts of acid refluxing not sufficient to inflame the esophagus but able to irritate the vocal cords, pulmonary linings and upper respiratory passages. These mucous membranes or linings are much more sensitive to minute amounts of acid as compared to the esophageal mucosa.

When patients with LPR syndrome give a history of many years of heartburn that seems to have subsided with the rise of the upper respiratory symptoms, it is not uncommon to find that the lower esophageal mucosa has changed into the ominous precancerous Barrett esophagus.

LPR syndrome is most often seen and diagnosed by ENT (Ear Nose and Throat specialist or Otolaryngologist). Once diagnosed the condition will need to be treated medically long term or preferably by surgery, to prevent serious pulmonary complications and the development of cancer of the upper respiratory passages, although there are no figures quantifying the increase in frequencies of these cancers as there are for cancer of the esophagus and stomach.

 

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