PR - Laryngopharyngeal reflux.. assessment of a Cellular model

• Research type

  Research Study

• IRAS ID

  156743

• Research summary

  We are interested in chronic or persistent throat problems. Symptoms such as coughing, feeling of something in the
  throat (globus); hoarse voice, throat clearing or post nasal drip. These symptoms affect a large number of people. One
  person out of every four who sees a GP will be going because of these symptoms. In a lot of people these symptoms
  may be due to asthma or other medical problems. But in a large number of people there is no cause we can find. We
  believe that many of these unexplained symptoms could be caused by reflux of stomach contents into the throat,
  causing irritation, something called laryngopharyngeal reflux. This is sometimes called ‘silent reflux’ because people
  with these throat symptoms often don’t get heartburn and indigestion, that we normally think of with reflux. The
  condition is poorly understood by scientists and doctors.
  These throat symptoms can be very distressing and many people with these persistent symptoms don’t get help from
  current medications, like anti acid tablets. Some people also think that reflux into the throat may be linked to cancer and
  other serious throat problems.
  In some people with these persistent throat symptoms the specialist ENT doctor may decide that they need a look
  down the throat in the operating theatre, while the person is asleep, to make sure there isn’t a worrying problems like
  cancer. We would like to take brushings of the lining of the voice box and a small sample of stomach juice from these
  people asleep in theatre. We would always ask the persons permission first.
  Using these brushing we would like to grow a voice box lining in a way like it would be in a persons throat, but in the
  laboratory, and then see what happens to this lining when it is irritated by the stomach juice. By measuring the
  reactions of the laboratory lining from a number of people we hope to create a ‘model’ of this disease –
  laryngopharyngeal reflux. Using this model we hope, in the future, to be able to develop tests for the problem and
  treatments, such as new medicines.

• REC name

  South East Scotland REC 01

• REC reference

  14/SS/1015

• Date of REC Opinion

  2 Jul 2014

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion