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Abstract Researchers have intensively investigated gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), while relatively little research has explored laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), characterized by dysphagia, globuspharyngeus, chronic cough, postnasal drip, hoarseness, and vocal fatigue. However, to treat LPR, practitioners must first treat GERD, which shares symptoms and medical management with the less-investigated LPR (Nausheen and Marilene, 2019). This was a prospective cohort study of 60 patients with GERD suspected with laryngo-pharyngeal reflux (LPR) related symptoms (e.g. sore throat, throat burning, throat clearing, globus sensa¬tion, cough, dysphonia, and dysphagia). Diagnosis was made using clinical judgment, clinical laryngoscopic examination (CLE), and upper GIT endoscopy with positive biopsy guided by the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) and Dysphagia handicap index (DHI). Patients were treated with proton pump inhibitors(PPI) and prokinetics for 12 weeks. Response to therapy was assessed by comparing pre-treatment and post-treatment values of RSI and DHI. With the aim of evaluation the outcome of medical treatment of GERD byPPIs and prokinetics for 12 weeks usingthe Arabic version of the RSI and Arabic version of Dysphagia Handicap Index (A-DHI) as assessment tools that measure the handicapping effect on emotional, physical and functional aspects of patients’lives. Statistical analysis of the presenting data was done using SPSS method and revealed the following: - There was not significant relation either between sex or age and total RSI. - There was statistically significant relation between age and A-DHI total as well as its subscales, except the relation between emotional subscale and age before the medical treatment, while after medical treatment all these relations were not statistically significant - There was significant difference between males and females in emotional subscale of A-DHI only before medical treatment, while after the medical treatment there was a significant difference between A-DHI subscales(physical, function and emotional) but there was not a significant relation between sex and total A-DHI. - The only significant relation between RSI and risk factors of GERD for was eating one big meal in the evening. - The relation between A-DHI and risk factors of GERD appeared with eating spicy products, drinking peppermint infusion and drinking fruit juices. - Highly significant difference in both individual and total items for both RSI and A-DHI before and after the medical treatment. - No one in both before and after medical treatment recorded eating using feeding tube item of A-DHI function subscale. - The overall severity of swallowing, the results showed that 85% of the sample had moderate problem before the medical treatment while it was only 20% after the medical treatment. 10 % of the sample had severe problem before the medical treatment while no one after the medical treatment. - Highly significant difference between RSI and the overall severity of swallowing before and after the medical treatment. |