title: Changes in the quality of life of patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux after treatment.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess changes in the symptoms and quality of life (QOL) of patients diagnosed with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) after proton pump inhibitor (PPI) treatment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective study.
  
  
  METHODS
  One hundred eighty patients diagnosed with LPR were evaluated. All patients were prescribed Lansoprazole (15 mg) twice daily for 12 weeks. The Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), Reflux Finding Score (RFS), Short-Form 36-Item Health Survey version 2.0 (SF-36), and LPR-health-related quality of life (HRQOL) were collected from each patient at the initial visit and at 4- and 12-week follow-up visits.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant improvement was observed in RSI and RFS scores after treatment. The LPR-HRQOL score also showed gradual improvement after PPI treatment in the voice, cough, throat clearing, swallowing, and overall impact of acid reflux. Although each domain of the SF-36 had a low score at the baseline visit, seven domains of the SF-36 had improved, except for the physical functioning domain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We found that RSI, RFS, and most categories in the LPR-HRQOL and SF-36 improved 12 weeks after initiating PPI treatments. These findings indicate that PPI treatment for 3 months could improve the QOL of patients diagnosed with LPR.
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Jun Seok
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Young Chan
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, VHS Medical Center, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Seung Woo
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Kim
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kangdong Sacred Heart Hospital, Hallym University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
authors.forename: Kee Hwan
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Kwon
authors.affiliation: Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Kyung Hee University School of Medicine, Seoul, Republic of Korea. Electronic address: younggyu.eun@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Young Gyu
authors.initials: YG
authors.lastname: Eun
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003679:Deglutition / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D064747:Lansoprazole / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D057045:Laryngopharyngeal Reflux / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D011788:Quality of Life; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014831:Voice / Q000502:physiology*; D014832:Voice Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D054328:Proton Pump Inhibitors; D064747:Lansoprazole
keywords: Change; Laryngopharyngeal reflux; Proton pump inhibitor; Quality of life; Symptom