EPP440 - Laryngopharyngeal reflux and psychological distress: a vicious cycle worth investigating
EPP440
Laryngopharyngeal reflux and psychological distress: a vicious cycle worth investigating
C. Recano 1,*, M. R. Barillari 2 3, G. M. Giordano 1, G. Costa 2, E. Caporusso 1, F. Giumello 4, S. Tolone 5, J. Lechien 6 7, A. Maniaci 8 9, C. M. Chiesa-Estomba 10 11, M. Mayo Yanez 8 12, A. Nacci 13, A. Mucci 1, S. Galderisi 1, L. Bastiani 14
1Department of Psychiatry, “L. Vanvitelli” University, 2Department of Mental and Physical Health and Preventive Medicine, “L. Vanvitelli” University, Napoli, Italy, 3Laryngology Study Group of the Young-Otolaryngologists of the International Federations of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (YO-IFOS), Marseille, France, 4Division of Phoniatrics and Audiology, “L. Vanvitelli”, 5Department of Advanced Medical and Surgical Sciences, University of Campania Luigi Vanvitelli, napoli, Italy, 62 Laryngology Study Group of the Young-Otolaryngologists of the International Federations of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (YO-IFOS),, Marseille, France, 7Division of Laryngology and Bronchoesophagology, EpiCURA Hospital, University of Mons,, Mons, Belgium, 8Laryngology Study Group of the Young-Otolaryngologists of the International Federations of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (YO-IFOS), Marseille, 9Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Enna “Kore”,, Enna, 10Laryngology Study Group of the Young-Otolaryngologists of the International Federations of Oto-Rhino-Laryngological Societies (YO-IFOS), Marseille, Marseille, Italy, 11Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hospital Universitario Donostia, San Sebastian, 12Department of Otorhinolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, Hospital San Rafael (HSR), Coruna, Spain, 13ENT, Audiology and Phoniatrics Unit, University of Pisa, 14Epidemiology Section, CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Pisa, Italy
Introduction: Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) is a common disorder characterized by upper aerodigestive symptoms, with growing evidence suggesting that psychological distress may act as a trigger or exacerbating factor. However, findings remain inconsistent and mostly focused on GERD rather than LPR.
Objectives: To investigate the correlation between laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and psychological distress in adult Italian patients
Methods: LPR was assessed using the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), Reflux Finding Score (RFS), and 24-hour impedance-pH monitoring. Psychological distress was evaluated with the following clinical tools: the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (IES-R), the Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), and the Perceived Stress Scale-10 (PSS-10). Associations between RSI, RFS, and psychological scores were analyzed
Results: A total of 45 LPR patients (Study Group, SG) and 29 healthy controls (CG) were included. Psychological assessments showed significantly higher distress in the SG compared to CG, with the only exception of the ISI. Anxiety levels were greater in LPR patients (HAM-A: 9.53 ± 5.8 vs. 6.79 ± 6.5; p = 0.025), as were anxious-depressive symptoms (HADS, p = 0.029). Depressive symptoms remained on average below the clinical threshold in both groups, though SG scores were close to the cut-off (6.89 ± 4.1 vs. 4.86 ± 5.1; p = 0.010). Perceived stress was significantly higher in the SG, reaching mild-to-moderate levels (21.62 ± 8.1 vs. 13.90 ± 5.5; p < 0.001). Moreover, RSI scores correlated positively with HAM-D, HADS, and HAM-A values.
Conclusions: Patients with LPR showed significantly higher levels of psychological distress, particularly anxiety and perceived stress, compared with healthy controls. These findings suggest that psychological factors may play an important role in the management of LPR and should be taken into account in diagnostic and therapeutic pathways.
Disclosure of Interest: None Declared