A Clinical Investigation of Frequency Scale for the Symptoms of GERD (FSSG) for Foreign Body Sensation in the Throat

Abstract

The most definitive tools for the diagnosis of Laryngo Pharyngeal Reflux Disease (LPRD) are upper gastrointestinal endoscopy and 24-hour pH monitoring. These diagnostic methods, however, are not common at Ear, Nose and Throat (ENT) clinics. Most otolaryngologists diagnose LPRD based on symptoms, laryngeal findings and proton pump inhibitor (PPI) tests. In this study, forty-three outpatients who had first visited Fukuoka University Hospital between October 2005 to February 2006 (23 male and 20 female) with foreign body sensations in their throats were retrospectively investigated. Their ages ranged from 20 to 79 with a mean age of 57 years. The clinicians were kept blind to the FSSG scores. Patients who had improved by PPI treatment were assinged to the LPRD group. The FSSG questionnaire was evaluated in another group of patients with LPRD as well as a non-LPRD group. When the cut off line is set at 8 points, the positive rate is 48.8% and the FSSG showed sensitivity of 90.9%, specificity of 65.6%, and a positive predictive value of 47.6%. This new questionnaire is useful for the objective evaluation of symptoms in LPRD patients.