title: The impact of laryngopharyngeal reflux on patient-reported quality of life.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The objectives were to assess patient-reported outcomes, specifically, the health-related quality of life of patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux, and to compare those reported levels with the health-related quality of life of patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and a general population.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  As part of a prospective study to validate a health-related quality of life instrument for laryngopharyngeal reflux, patient-reported data were collected before the initiation of therapy. Use of the Short Form-36 (SF-36), a generic instrument, allowed the health-related quality of life of the patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux to be compared with benchmarks existing for patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease and a general U.S. population.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The 117 patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux often reported multiple symptoms, most frequently, chronic throat-clearing (85.5%), globus (82.1%), and hoarseness (80.3%). Their mean health-related quality of life was statistically significantly worse than that of a general U.S. population in seven of the eight SF-36 domains. The most dramatic differences between patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux and the general population were in social functioning and bodily pain (P <.001). Mean scores for patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux were significantly lower than those for patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease in social functioning (P <.001) and vitality (P =.0017). In five of the six remaining domains, patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux reported lower mean scores than did patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease, but those differences were not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The study's assessment of health-related quality of life suggests that laryngopharyngeal reflux has a significant negative impact on the lives of patients. Although its impact is similar in some respects to that of gastroesophageal reflux disease, laryngopharyngeal reflux has a more significant impact on patients' social functioning and vitality.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
authors.forename: Ricardo L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Carrau
authors.forename: Aliaa
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Khidr
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Crawley
authors.forename: Eric M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Hillson
authors.forename: Judith K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Chris L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Pashos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D005260:Female; D005764:Gastroesophageal Reflux / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology* / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007013:Hypopharynx / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011788:Quality of Life; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile