Prevalence and Correlation of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux in Females with Vitamin D Deficiency in a Multi-Specialty Polyclinic in New Delhi, India

Background: Laryngopharyngeal Reflux (LPR) is a condition in which gastric content reflux into the larynx and pharynx. It is one of the extraesophageal manifestations of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), involving the laryngeal regio. The laryngopharyngeal epithelium is more susceptible to reflux-related tissue injury than the esophageal epithelium. Objectives: This study aimed to test the hypothesis of whether severe vitamin D deficiency results in increased Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) symptoms in Indian females. The objective was to find out the prevalence of LPR in the severe vitamin D deficient Indian female population. Methods: A descriptive observational study was done at a multispecialty polyclinic in New Delhi, India, over a period of one year. Based on a pilot study, a sample size of 185 individuals was taken. All females referring to the general outpatient department (OPD) with vitamin D levels below 20 ng/ml were included. The frequency of LPR symptoms in the study participants was assessed using the reflux symptom index (RSI) and reflux finding score (RFS) given for all symptomatic patients using a validated scoring system. The data were analyzed descriptively with Microsoft Excel and SPSS version 21 using appropriate tests. Results: In this study, 92% of the subjects aged more than 25 years, and the mean vitamin D level was 9.87 (± 3.425) ng/ml. Moreover, 74% of study participants had severe vitamin D deficiency (≤ 10 ng/ml). The mean RSI for our study participants was 14.54 (± 10.353). Also, the mean RFS was 1.77 (± 3.069). No significant correlation was established between the severity of vitamin D deficiency and RSI as well as RFS. The prevalence of LPR was 43%. Conclusions: Hypovitaminosis D does not have any effect on LPR in the Indian female population.