Pediatric Laryngopharyngeal Reflux

Young children usually “spit-up” frequently. This is a common occurrence, but if this condition becomes chronic, constant exposure of the laryngeal structures to acidic contents may cause long-term airway problems. If your little one might be experiencing issues related to laryngospasm, continue reading below or contact OOA today.

What Is Gastroesophageal Reflux

When food or liquid are swallowed, they travel through the esophagus and into the stomach where acids help digestion. Each end of the esophagus has a sphincter, a ring of muscle, that helps keep the acidic contents of the stomach in the stomach and out of the throat. When these rings of muscle do not work properly, you may get heartburn or gastroesophageal reflux (GER). Chronic GER is often diagnosed as gastroesophageal reflux disease or #GERD.

What Is Laryngopharyngeal Reflux?

There are times when the acidic stomach contents will reflux all the way up to the esophagus, past the ring of muscle at the top (upper esophageal sphincter or UES) and into the throat. When this happens, acidic material contacts the sensitive tissue at the back of the throat and even the back of the nasal airway. This is known as laryngopharyngeal reflux or #LPR.

How Does This Affect Infants?

During their first year, infants frequently spit up. This is essentially LPR because the stomach contents are refluxing into the back of the throat. However, in most infants, it is a normal occurrence caused by the immaturity of both the upper and lower esophageal sphincters, since there is a short distance from the stomach to the throat and the greater amount of time infants spend in a horizontal position. Only infants who have associated airway (breathing) or feeding problems require evaluation by a specialist. This is most critical when breathing-related symptoms are present.

What Are the Symptoms

Adults may be able to identify LPR as a bitter taste in the back of the throat, more commonly in the morning upon awakening. The sensation of a lump or something stuck in the throat, which does not go away despite multiple swallowing attempts to clear the lump. Some adults may also experience a burning sensation in the throat. A more uncommon symptom is difficulty breathing, which occurs because the acidic, refluxed material comes in contact with the voice box (larynx) and causes the vocal cords to close to prevent aspiration of the material into the windpipe (trachea). This event is known as #laryngospasm.

Infants and children are unable to describe sensations like adults can. Therefore, LPR is only successfully diagnosed if parents are suspicious and the child undergoes a full evaluation by one of the physicians at Oklahoma Otolaryngology Associates. Airway or breathing-related problems are the most commonly seen symptoms of LPR in infants and children and can be serious. If your infant or child experiences any of the following symptoms, timely evaluation is critical.

Risks Of Reflux

In infants and children, chronic exposure of the laryngeal structures to acidic contents may cause long-term airway problems such as a narrowing of the area below the vocal cords (#SubglotticStenosis), hoarseness, and possibly Eustachian Tube Dysfunction causing recurrent ear infections or persistent middle ear fluid and symptoms of sinusitis. The direct relationship between LPR and the latter mentioned problems are currently under research investigation.

How To Test For Laryngopharyngeal Reflux

At this time, there are no good standardized tests to identify LPR in infants and children. If parents notice ANY symptoms of LPR in their child, they may wish to discuss with their pediatrician a referral to see one of the physicians at Oklahoma Otolaryngology Associates for an evaluation. Parents can expect our physician to perform a flexible fiberoptic nasopharyngoscopy/laryngoscopy, which involves sliding a 2 mm scope through the infant or child’s nostril, so they can look directly at the voice box and related structures or a 24 hour pH monitoring of the esophagus. The OOA physician may also decide to perform further evaluation of the child under general anesthesia. This would include looking directly at the voice box and related structures (direct laryngoscopy), a full endoscopic look at the trachea and bronchi (bronchoscopy) and an endoscopic look at the esophagus (esophagoscopy) with a possible biopsy of the esophagus to determine if esophagitis is present. LPR in infants and children remains a diagnosis of clinical judgment based on history given by the parents, the physical exam and endoscopic evaluations.

How To Treat Laryngopharyngeal Reflux

Since LPR is an extension of GER, successful treatment of LPR is based on successful treatment of GER. In infants and children, basic recommendations may include smaller and more frequent feedings and keeping an infant in a vertical position after feeding for at least 30 minutes. A trial of medications including H2 blockers or proton pump inhibitors may be necessary. Similar to adults, those who fail medical treatment or have diagnostic evaluations demonstrating anatomical abnormalities may require surgical intervention.

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