7 Signs that Silent Reflux is Damaging Your Throat

Do you have many or most of these 7 symptoms?

  1. Chronic dry cough
  2. Chronic throat clearing
  3. A lump or tight feeling in the throat
  4. Difficulty swallowing
  5. Excessive throat mucous
  6. Hoarseness of voice
  7. Throat irritation

There is no one single symptom that denotes silent reflux (laryngopharyngeal reflux as we call it, or “LPR” for short). But if you have a combination of any of the symptoms described above, it is likely that LPR is part of the problem. LPR can be treated with a combination of diet and lifestyle changes in combination with anti-acid medications.

Note that “history of heartburn or GERD” is not on the list! Only 50% of people with LPR have any history of heartburn or indigestion. Of course, if you have any of the symptoms mentioned above and they have persisted longer than 2 weeks, you will want to get checked by an Ear, Nose and Throat Doctor (otolaryngologist) to make sure that the symptoms are not from something more serious.