Laryngopharyngeal reflux

What it is

Laryngopharyngeal reflux is reflux that affects the laryngeal and pharyngeal mucosa. It is one of the causes of chronic laryngitis, which is laryngitis of more than 2 weeks duration, and it is the common cause of a contact ulcer or granuloma of the vocal folds, where the ulcer sits on the posterior 1/3 of the vocal folds.

How it presents

The features are:

• Sensation of a lump in the throat, called globus
• Hoarseness of voice
• Cough
• Heartburn

There are no red flags. Globus pharyngeus itself is described only as a foreign body sensation in the throat, or a lump in the throat. The complaint of a feeling of something in the throat, like a crumb being stuck, is not globus: it belongs to the neoplastic causes of dysphagia, where oral cavity, oropharyngeal, hypopharyngeal, laryngeal and oesophageal tumours may leave the patient complaining only of that, along with weight loss and symptoms of aspiration like cough and recurrent chest infection.