Exploring Symptoms of Gastroesophageal Reflux in the Egyptian Patients with Non-Organic Voice Disorders
Hend Mohamed Alhanafy, Mohamed Ali Saad Baraka, Mona Sameeh Khodeir- General Medicine
Abstract
Background
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is an entity with heartburn, regurgitation, chest and stomach pain, and the feeling of gastric acid coming up.
Aim of the Work
This study aimed to explore symptoms of GERD in patients with nonorganic voice disorders using the Arabic version of Reflux Symptom Index (A-RSI).
Subjects and Methods
This study was applied on 50 Egyptian Arabic-speaking patients in the age range between 20 to 59 years old. Patients included were diagnosed with non-organic voice disorders according to the protocol of voice assessment used in the Phoniatrics outpatient clinic in Ain Shams University Hospitals. The participated patients were asked to fulfill the ARSI questions and their answers were related to their age, gender, duration of their voice symptoms, and the overall grade of their dysphonia as assessed by the GRBAS scale.
Results
Analysis of the answers of the participated patients to the A-RSI, revealed that only 40% of patients had a total score of the A-RSI above 13. This indicates that the participated patients with non-organic voice disorders have symptoms of GER. There was an insignificant correlation between the scores of the A-RSI and the age, gender, and duration of voice symptoms. The total score of A-RSI is indirectly related to the overall grade of dysphonia of the participated patients.
Conclusion
Patients with non-organic voice disorders have symptoms of GERD, however these symptoms are not related to the duration of their voice symptoms and related indirectly to the overall grade of their dysphonic voices. GER may be a contributing etiological factor in non-organic voice disorders but need to be confirmed by further assessment.