Demographic Data of the Study Population
| Demography and clinical characteristics | Patients (n = 90) | Healthy control (n = 28) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Demography | |||
| Age (yr) | 55.3 ± 10.2 | 43.3 ± 13.3 | < 0.001 |
| Male gender | 70/90 (77.7) | 11/28 (39.2) | < 0.001 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 23.7 ± 3.3 | 22.7 ± 3.1 | 0.152 |
| ENT first visit | 73/90 (81.1) | - | - |
| Clinical presentations | |||
| Major laryngeal symptom | |||
| Globus sensation | 22/90 (24.4) | - | - |
| Throat pain | 19/90 (21.1) | - | - |
| Hoarseness | 31/90 (34.4) | - | - |
| Cough | 15/90 (16.6) | - | - |
| Throat clearing | 3/90 (3.3) | - | - |
| Typical GERD symptoms | 34/90 (37.7) | - | - |
| Symptom duration, months | 12 (7, 36) | - | - |
| Previous acid suppressive therapy use | 61/90 (67.7) | - | - |
| Diabetes mellitus | 5/90 (5.6) | 0/28 (0.0) | 0.337 |
| Hypertension | 17/90 (18.8) | 1/28 (3.6) | 0.069 |
| Post nasal drip | 37/90 (41.1) | 0/28 (0.0) | < 0.001 |
| Endoscopic findings | |||
| Reflux esophagitis | 10/90 (11.1) | 0/28 (0.0) | 0.115 |
| Hiatus hernia | 4/90 (4.4) | 0/28 (0.0) | 0.571 |
| Peptic ulcer | 7/90 (7.8) | 5/28 (17.8) | 0.237 |
| 21/90 (23.3) | 9/27 (33.3) | 0.698 | |
| 24-hour pH test finding | |||
| Distal esophageal pH time (%) | |||
| Total | 0.8 (0.2-2.1, 7.8) | 0.3 (0.1-1.2, 2.9) | 0.094 |
| Upright | 1.2 (0.3-3.1, 10.5) | 0.5 (0.2-1.8, 3.2) | 0.073 |
| Supine | 0.0 (0.0-0.1, 3.9) | 0.0 (0.0-0.0, 3.5) | 0.366 |
| Pathological acid exposure time in the distal esophagus |
17/90 (18.8) | 3/28 (10.7) | 0.398 |
aPathological acid exposure time in the distal esophagus was defined as ≥ 4.2% of 24-hour, or ≥ 6.3% of upright position, or ≥ 1.2% of supine position, with pH < 4 at 5-cm above the upper margin of the lower esophageal sphincter.
BMI, body mass index; ENT, Ear-Nose-Throat specialists; GERD, gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Pearson chi-square tests were used for dichotomous variables, whereas Mann-Whitney
Data are presented as mean ± SD, n/n (%), or median (interquartile range).