Awareness about laryngopharyngeal reflux disease among Chinese otolaryngologists: a nationwide survey.

OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to investigate the status of the current knowledge about laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) among Chinese otolaryngologists. DESIGN: Multi-centre cross-sectional survey. SETTING: 220 medical centres in different regions of China. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 2254 otolaryngologists from 220 medical centres in China who were successfully on-site surveyed between November 2019 and December 2020. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Awareness about LPRD included knowledge about risk factors, symptoms, laryngoscope signs, related diseases, current diagnostic methods and treatments. RESULTS: The percentage of participants who had heard of LPRD was 96.4%, with academic conferences as the most common source of information (73.3%). The most commonly known risk factor, symptom, laryngoscope sign, related disease, diagnostic method and treatment were alcohol consumption (44.0%), pharyngeal foreign body sensation (66.9%), hyperaemia (52.4%), pharyngolaryngitis (54.8%), pH monitoring (47.6%) and medication (82.1%), respectively. Only 28.3% of all participants knew that 24 h pH or multichannel intraluminal impedance pH monitoring was the most accurate diagnostic test. As many as 73.1% of all participants knew that proton pump inhibitors were the first-line treatment drugs. An analysis of the overall status of awareness using a scoring system suggested that otolaryngologists were better aware owing to more access, working at 3A hospitals, and postgraduate or above educational background (all p<0.05). CONCLUSION: Although the majority of Chinese otolaryngologists had heard of LPRD, their overall awareness about the disease was not encouraging. More efforts are needed to increase the knowledge about LPRD among this group of physicians. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ChiCTR1900025581.

An epidemiological survey of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease at the otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery clinics in China.

PURPOSE: Using the Reflux Symptom Index (RSI), this nationwide study aimed to investigate the incidence, diagnostic status, risk factors, and common symptoms of adult laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) at otorhinolaryngology-head and neck surgery (OHNS) clinics in China. METHODS: This multicenter cross-sectional survey began at the different institutions ranged from July to October 2017, and the duration was 12 months. A total of 90,440 eligible patients were finally enrolled from 72 medical institutions in China. All these patients completed the questionnaire based on RSI. In this study, LPRD was defined as RSI > 13. RESULTS: There were 9182 with LPRD among the 90,440 eligible participants (10.15%). However, only 1294 had a history of LPRD diagnosis among those with LPRD (14.09%). There were regional differences in the frequency of LPRD (P < 0.001). The proportions of patients with LPRD in males (vs. females), middle- and old-aged patients (vs. young), with current smoking history (vs. no smoking), and current drinking history (vs. no drinking) were significantly higher (all P < 0.001). Middle and old age, current smoking, and drinking history were independent predictors of LPRD (all P < 0.001, OR 1.240, 1.261, and 1.481, respectively). "Sensations of something stuck in throat or a lump in throat", "clearing throat", and "excess throat mucus or postnasal drip" were the most frequent clinical symptoms in patients with LPRD. CONCLUSIONS: LPRD has a high incidence at the OHNS clinics in China. However, the diagnostic status of this disease is not optimistic. Older age, smoking, and drinking history were risk factors for LPRD.

[Relationship between mannose-binding protein gene polymorphisms and disease progression and HBV DNA in patients with chronic HBV infection].

OBJECTIVE: To determine the influences of Mannose binding protein (MBP) gene polymorphisms on HBV DNA loads and on the progression of liver disease in patients with chronic HBV infection. METHOD: The Codons on 54 MBP gene polymorphisms and HBV DNA loads in a cohort of 395 patients with chronic HBV infection, including 244 with chronic hepatitis B (CHB), 151 with liver cirrhosis (LC) and 88 normal controls were examined by polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and fluorescent quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR). RESULT: The MBP genotype frequencies of GGC/GAC and alleles genetic frequencies of GAC in CHB group showed no significant differences comparing to the normal control group (P > 0.05). The MBP genotype frequencies of GGC/GAC and alleles genetic frequencies of GAC on CHB group (severe), compensation phase of LC group and decompensation phase of LC group were higher than those in the normal control group (P < 0.05), the genetic polymorphism of decompensation of LC was 36.5%, highest of all. The MBP genotype frequencies of GGC/GAC and alleles genetic frequencies of GAC of patients with chronic HBV infection were not changed with the differences of HBV-DNA loads. CONCLUSION: The codes on 54 MBP gene polymorphisms is not closely related to HBV DNA loads, but was associated with the progression of hepatitis B infection.