Laryngopharyngeal reflux, also called LPR, causes stomach acid to flow backward from your stomach into your throat and mouth. Stomach acid is very corrosive and can irritate the sensitive tissues in your throat and larynx. Changing your diet and taking medication to control acid production can help improve LPR symptoms.
Identification
When you eat, food moves from your mouth to your stomach through the esophagus. Once the food reaches your stomach, the esophageal sphincter closes to prevent stomach contents from returning to the esophagus. In some cases, the sphincter is weak or doesn't close completely. When this happens, acid and stomach contents can leak from the stomach. If you have gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD, the acid only flows into the esophagus. If you have LPR, the acid travels up the esophagus until it reaches the throat and larynx, or voice box. The American Academy of Otolaryngology -- Head and Neck Surgery reports that it is possible to have both LPR and GERD.
Symptoms
Excess acid in the throat can cause a sour or bad taste in your mouth, bad breath, difficulty swallowing food, choking, difficulty breathing, irritation of the larynx, coughing or a burning sensation in the throat. You might also notice increased mucus in the throat, which might feel like post-nasal drip. LPR can make your voice sound hoarse, particularly in the morning. The NYU Medical Center/School of Medicine reports that LPR has been shown to be present in as many as 50 percent of all patients with voice problems. Some people who have LPR might develop heartburn, although heartburn is more common with GERD. If your baby or young child has LPR, you might notice that his breathing is noisy or changes during sleep, or that he briefly stops breathing when sleeping. It might be hard to feed babies with LPR due to frequent spitting up. Other symptoms of LPR in infants and children might include asthma, croup and growth delays.
Treatment
Your doctor might recommend that you take over-the-counter or prescription medications, such as antacids or proton pump inhibitors, to treat your symptoms. Antacids can help neutralize acid, while proton pump inhibitors reduce acid production. Another type of medication, histamine agonists, helps reduce stomach acid by preventing the chemical histamine from signaling the stomach to produce acid. In severe cases, surgery might be needed to strengthen the esophageal sphincter.
Prevention
Certain foods can make LPR symptoms worse. Tomatoes, oranges and other citrus fruits are already high in acid and can aggravate LPR. Drinking tomato or citrus juices can also increase symptoms. Other foods doctors recommend avoiding include chocolate, foods and beverages containing caffeine, mint, carbonated beverages, and fatty, fried and spicy foods. Eating more, smaller meals throughout the day rather than eating three large meals also might help decrease symptoms. Exercising soon after eating can force stomach contents back into the esophagus. Delaying exercising until two or three hours after eating will give food time to move out of the stomach and into the intestines.
