Is Adjunctive Alginate Therapy Beneficial in the Treatment of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease in a Rural Indian Population? A Prospective Randomized Study.

To assess the benefit of adjunctive alginate therapy in the treatment of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD) in a rural population in south India, by comparing the outcome of alginate plus proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy versus PPI monotherapy. 100 consenting adults of both sexes, with LPRD symptoms for ≥ 1 month, with both Reflux Symptom Index (RSI) > 13 and Reflux Finding Score (RFS) > 7, were included in a randomised prospective analytical clinical study. Patients were randomised into two treatment groups for 8 weeks. Group A received oral pantoprazole (40 mg, twice a day),and Group B received oral pantoprazole (40 mg) and oral alginate (500 mg/10 ml) twice a day each. Treatment outcome was assessed with RSI and RFS at 4 and 8 weeks. On follow-ups, both groups showed significant improvement in RSI. At 4 weeks, significant improvement in RFS was seen in Group B, but not in Group A; both groups showed improvement at 8 weeks. The improvement was significantly better in Group B RSI and RFS on both follow ups. On analysis of each RSI item at 8 weeks, choking sensation showed no significant improvement in Group A. All other items showed significant improvement in both groups, with all items except difficulty swallowing and choking sensation showing significantly better improvement in Group B. Analysis of each RFS item at 8 weeks, showed significant improvement in Group B but not in Group A. The addition of alginate to PPI shows greater definitive improvement in both symptoms and signs of LPRD within a short period of 8 weeks, compared to PPI monotherapy, making it a feasible treatment option with good results in routine practice in a rural set-up. Adjunctive alginate therapy enhances the resolution of clinical features of LPRD and is thus beneficial in its routine treatment in all populations.