Pharyngeal pH measurements in patients with respiratory symptoms before and during proton pump inhibitor therapy

Background: Pharyngeal pH monitoring is a diagnostic tool used to identify Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) as an etiology of respiratory symptoms. We performed pharyngeal pH monitoring on 14 patients with respiratory symptoms thought to be induced by GERD. Methods: Symptoms and pH monitoring (esophageal and pharyngeal) were assessed prior to and 3 months after the initiation of double-dose proton pump inhibitor therapy. Results: Symptoms included cough, hoarseness, and throat clearing. Ten patients had at least one episode of pharyngeal reflux (PR+) and 4 patients had no pharyngeal reflux (PR−). Pharyngeal reflux episodes in PR+ patients decreased from 3.5 to 0.9 ( P