{"id":423,"date":"2020-01-21T10:38:43","date_gmt":"2020-01-21T18:38:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/midvalleyentallergyandhearing.fm1.dev\/ent\/throat\/laryngopharyngeal-reflux\/"},"modified":"2020-08-28T15:37:05","modified_gmt":"2020-08-28T22:37:05","slug":"laryngopharyngeal-reflux","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/midvalleyentallergyandhearing.com\/ent\/laryngopharyngeal-reflux\/","title":{"rendered":"Laryngopharyngeal Reflux"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

What is laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR)?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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Food or liquids that are swallowed travel through the esophagus and into the stomach where acids help digestion. Each end of the esophagus has a sphincter, a ring of muscle, that helps keep the acidic contents of the stomach in the stomach or out of the throat. When these rings of muscle do not work properly, you may get heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux (GER). Chronic GER is often diagnosed as gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD.
Sometimes, acidic stomach contents will reflux all the way up to the esophagus, past the ring of muscle at the top (upper esophageal sphincter or UES), and into the throat. When this happens, acidic material contacts the sensitive tissue at back of the throat and even the back of the nasal airway. This is known as laryngopharyngeal reflux or LPR.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

What are symptoms of LPR?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are various symptoms of LPR. Adults may be able to identify LPR as a bitter taste in the back of the throat, more commonly in the morning upon awakening, and the sensation of a “lump” or something stuck in the throat, which does not go away despite multiple swallowing attempts to clear the “lump”. Some adults may also experience a burning sensation in the throat. A more uncommon symptom is difficulty breathing, which occurs because the acidic, refluxed material comes in contact with the voice box (larynx) and causes the vocal cords to close to prevent aspiration of the material into the windpipe (trachea). This event is known as “laryngospasm”.
Infants and children are unable to describe sensations like adults can. Therefore, LPR is only successfully diagnosed if parents are suspicious and the child undergoes a full evaluation by a specialist such as an otolaryngologist. Airway or breathing-related problems are the most commonly seen symptoms of LPR in infants and children and can be serious. If your infant or child experiences any of the following symptoms, timely evaluation is critical:<\/p>\n\n\n\n