Laryngopharyngeal reflux reviewed

'Over the last 3 decades, many reports have implicated refluxed gastric acid as a cause of, or as a contributory factor in, development of chronic laryngeal and pharyngeal disorders. Although this putative cause-effect relationship has been strengthened by more recent evidence, the body of evidence on causation, diagnosis, and treatment of these increasingly diagnosed disorders is still evolving. A variety of symptoms, functional and structural abnormalities involving the larynx, and other contiguous structures positioned proximal to the esophagus constitute the spectrum of these disorders (see the list below). Various terms such as supraesophageal gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), atypical GERD, laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), and extraesophageal complications of GERD have been used to describe this group of symptoms and signs.'
- Jeegar Jailwala and Reza Shaker reviews the theory and literature regarding laryngopharyngeal reflux at emedicine.com.