Role of Gastroesophageal Reflux in Pediatric Upper Airway Disorders

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Abstract
Gastroesophageal reflux (GER) into the laryngopharynx causes or contributes significantly to a variety of upper respiratory problems in children. The pH probe, laryngeal examinations, and bron-choalveolar lavage results for children with subglottic stenosis, recurrent croup, apnea, chronic cough, laryngomalacia, recurrent choanal stenosis, vocal fold nodules, and chronic sinusitis/otitis/bronchitis were reviewed in an effort to quantify the role of GER in each of these disorders. This review suggests that GER plays a causative role in subglottic stenosis, recurrent croup, apnea, and chronic cough. It is an important inflammatory cofactor in laryngoma-lacia and possibly in true vocal cord nodules and problematic recurrent choanal stenosis. GER is also an important inflammatory cofactor in chronic sinusitis/otitis/bronchitis but may be the result of chronic illness in the older patients.