Laryngitis and Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease: Increasing Prevalence or Poor Diagnostic Tests?

Laryngeal signs and symptoms are often associated with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). However, such diagnoses presume that laryngeal findings may be specific for GERD. However, neither laryngoscopy, EGD or pH monitoring are specific tests for identifying GERD related laryngitis. Non-placebo controlled trials often show clinical benefit from proton pump inhibitor therapy; however, suffer from lack of controls. GERD may be one cause of laryngeal signs and symptoms in a subgroup of patients but not in all those currently so suspected. Future, studies are needed in this area to better delineate this association.