Psychosocial burden in patients with chronic laryngopharyngeal symptoms with and without pathologic acid reflux.

Background: Patients with chronic laryngopharyngeal symptoms, with or without pathologic reflux, frequently have poor response to standard therapies, which may be a result of overlapping cognitive-affective processes. Therefore, the aims of this study included measuring psychosocial distress and laryngeal-specific cognitive distress in patients with chronic laryngopharyngeal symptoms (LPS) as well as comparing these among laryngeal symptomatic patients with and without conclusive gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD).

Methods: This prospective, single-center study enrolled adults with chronic LPS from 9/22 to 6/23. Patients completed eight questionnaires on quality of life, symptom burden, and psychosocial distress. The laryngeal cognitive affective tool (LCAT) assessed laryngeal-specific hypervigilance and anxiety; LCAT scores ≥33 were elevated. All patients underwent objective testing with endoscopy and/or ambulatory reflux monitoring and were categorized as proven GERD (GER+) or no proven GERD (GER-).

Key results: One hundred twenty-nine patients were included: 66% female, mean age 54.1 (17.5) years, mean BMI 27.6 (6.8) kg/m², 66% Caucasian, 57% with an elevated LCAT, and 53% GER+. Moderate-to-severe anxiety was found in 39% and moderate-to-severe depression in 19%. An elevated LCAT alone or with an elevated anxiety/depression score was found in 58%. Patient-reported outcomes scores, including LCAT scores (32.9 (13.8) GER- vs. 33.1 (12.6) GER+, p = 0.91), were similar between patients with and without GER+.

Conclusions and inferences: Patients with chronic LPS experience heightened levels of hypervigilance, symptom-specific anxiety, and psychosocial distress, regardless of the presence of pathologic GER.