Reflux and vocal disorders in singers with bulimia

Dysphonia associated with bulimia has been described in the literature associated with vocal fold edema and polypoid changes.Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) has been documented to cause reflux vocal fold pathology including edema and polypoid changes.We studied eight singers with bulimia and documented vocal fold pathology, including edema, posterior commissure hypertrophy, ventricular obliteration, and telangiectasia.Reflux was demonstrated in all eight.The results of this study showed that LPR may be a contributing factor to vocal disorders in singers with bulimia.Key words: Vocal changes--Singers---B ulimia--LPR.Dysphonia associated with bulimia has been described in the literature (1).Various vocal fold pathologies, including edema, telangiectasia, and polypoid changes may occur with this disorders (2).In this study, we studied the contribution of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), induced by purging, on the vocal fold.In the eight patients in this study, significant LPR was noted.We postulate that LPR is an important contributing cause for the vocal fold changes noted in bulimia.Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by recurrent episodes of binge eating followed by self-induced vomiting (purging) or use of laxatives or diuretics.The reflux of gastric cotnents can cause a multitude of effects on the larynx, as well as on the oral cavity and pharynx (1, 2).