Research Article
Correlation between Allergic Rhinitis and
Laryngopharyngeal Reflux
Sami Alharethy ,
1
Abdulsalam Baqays,
2
Tamer A. Mesallam ,
2,3
Falah Syouri,
2
Mawaheb Al Wedami,
2,4
Turki Aldrees,
5
and Alhanouf AlQabbani
6
1
Division of Facial Plastic Surgery, Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, King Abdulaziz University Hospital,
King Saud University, P.O. Box 245, Riyadh 11411, Saudi Arabia
2
Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, King Abdulaziz University Hospital,
King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
3
Research Chair of Voice, Swallowing, and Communications Disorders, ORL Department, College of Medicine,
King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
4
Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Department, Shiekh Khalifa Medical City, Abu Dhabi, UAE
5
Department of Otolaryngology, Head and Neck Surgery, Prince Sattam bin Abdulaziz University, Alkharj, Saudi Arabia
6
Department of Otolaryngology, Head & Neck Surgery, Prince Sultan Medical Military City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Correspondence should be addressed to Sami Alharethy; samiharthi@gmail.com
Received 18 July 2017; Revised 9 December 2017; Accepted 8 January 2018; Published 22 March 2018
Academic Editor: Joanna Domagala-Kulawik
Copyright © 2018 Sami Alharethy et al. Tis is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License,
which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Background and Objectives. Laryngopharyngeal refux (LPR) exhibits nonspecifc clinical presentations, and these symptoms may
be associated with other conditions such as allergies, including allergic rhinitis and laryngitis. However, there is a gap in the
literature regarding the correlation of laryngopharyngeal refux with allergic rhinitis/laryngitis. Hence, the aim of this study is to
explore the correlation between these two conditions. Patients and Methods. A total of 126 patients with suggestive manifestations
of laryngopharyngeal refux were included in this study. Patients were classifed into LPR positive and negative groups based on
the results of a 24-hour oropharyngeal pH monitoring system while allergic rhinitis status was assessed with the score for allergic
rhinitis (SFAR). Te results of the two groups were compared regarding the SFAR score. Correlation between the pH results and SFAR
score was explored. Results. Te LPR positive group demonstrated signifcantly higher SFAR scores compared to the negative LPR
group ( < 0.0001). In addition, the Ryan score was signifcantly correlated with the SFAR total score and its symptomatology-related
items (r ranged between 0.35 and 0.5). Conclusion. It seems that laryngopharyngeal refux increases patients’ self-rating of allergic
manifestations. It appears that there is an association between laryngopharyngeal refux and allergic rhinitis/laryngitis.
1. Introduction
During the last decades, interest in exploring gastric
refux and understanding its comorbidity has increased.
Asher Winkelstein discovered gastroesophageal refux dis-
ease (GERD) in 1935, and it was clinically diagnosed by
the presence of typical symptoms such as heartburn and
acidic regurgitation [1]. Interestingly, otolaryngologists found
that some patients presented with no specifc symptoms
arising from the upper aerodigestive tract with substantial
evidence of acidic refux sequelae despite a lack of typical
GERD symptoms [2]. A new era of interest in the feld of
GERD research was subsequently established to answer the
following questions: what is laryngopharyngeal refux (LPR)?
What are the factors that distinguish LPR from GERD? How
can we diagnose LPR? And fnally, what is the perfect plan to
manage LPR [3]?
Refux of gastric contents into the upper aerodigestive
tract despite the absence of heartburn and regurgitation
is what defnes LPR [4]. As stated in the literature, there
are debates regarding whether to consider it as an atypical
presentation of GERD or an entirely diferent disease entity
known as LPR [5, 6]. LPR and GERD can be diferentiated;
heartburn and acidic regurgitation that commonly occur at
Hindawi
BioMed Research International
Volume 2018, Article ID 2951928, 6 pages
https://doi.org/10.1155/2018/2951928