Association Between Pepsin in the Saliva and the Subjective Symptoms in Patients With Laryngopharyngeal Reflux

The Consistency Between Symptom Scales and Multi-time Point Salivary Pepsin Test for Diagnosing Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the screening diagnostic value of reflux symptom index (RSI) and reflux symptom score (RSS) for laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD).

METHODS

Fifty-two patients hospitalized in the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at The Sixth Medical Center of PLA General Hospital between October 2022 and April 2023 were enrolled in the study. These patients completed the RSS, RSI scales, as well as underwent the multi-time point salivary pepsin test (MTPSPT). Cohen's kappa test and receiver operating characteristic analysis were utilized to assess and compare the diagnostic values of the RSI and RSS.

RESULTS

A total of 52 patients, comprising 37 males and 15 females, with a mean age of 44 ± 12 years, were enrolled in the study. The Kappa values between RSS, RSI, and MTPSPT were found to be 0.403 (P < 0.05) and 0.192 (P < 0.05), respectively. When considering MTPSPT as the diagnostic criterion, the sensitivity and specificity of RSS were determined to be 76.70% and 76.90%, respectively, while those of RSI were 41.10% and 42.30%. Additionally, the negative predictive values for RSS and RSI stood at 77.70% and 64.70%, respectively, and their positive predictive values were 94.20% and 57.10%. Furthermore, the area under the curves (AUC) for RSS and RSI were calculated to be 0.677 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.464-0.742) and 0.609 (95% CI: 0.533-0.800), respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

RSS had a better concordance with multi-time point salivary pepsin test results and AUC values when screening for LPRD.

Determination of pepsin in human saliva using pepsin-susceptible peptide reporter and colorimetric dipstick assay: a prospective, cross-sectional study

A simple and effective pepsin detection assay is reported based on a pepsin-susceptible peptide (PSP) reporter degradation strategy. PSP, which can be specifically cleaved by pepsin, was modified with fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) and biotin at the N- and C-terminals to be used as a reporter for colorimetric detection of dipsticks. A universal lateral flow dipstick consisting of a streptavidin test line for biotin binding and a sample pad immobilized with a gold-labeled polyclonal (rabbit) anti-FITC antibody was used to verify PSP-based pepsin detection. When the PSP reporter reacts with pepsin in a tube, it cleaves into two fragments, and the cleaved fragments do not display any color on the test line. Therefore, the higher the concentration of pepsin is, the greater is the decrease in test line intensity (IT-line) and the higher is the control line intensity (IC-line). First, the PSP cleavage and dipstick assay conditions for pepsin detection was optimized. The ratio of color intensity (IT-line/IC-line) of PSP-based dipstick assay showed a linear relationship with log concentration of pepsin ranging between 4 and 500 ng/mL (R2 = 0.98, n = 6), with a limit of detection of 1.4 ng/mL. It also exhibited high specificity and good reproducibility. Finally, pepsin levels were quantified in saliva samples from healthy controls (n = 34) and patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR, n = 61). Salivary pepsin levels were higher in patients with LPR than in healthy controls. The salivary pepsin levels correlated with those measured using a conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Therefore, this PSP-based dipstick assay is a convenient tool for assessing salivary pepsin levels.

Submucosal Clustered Brownish Microvessels Based on NBI Endoscopy: A Characteristic of LPR

OBJECTIVE

This study aimed to analyze the characteristics of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) by using narrow band imaging (NBI) endoscopy.

STUDY DESIGN

A prospective study.

SETTING

A large-volume practice with tertiary care providers.

METHODS

A total of 67 patients with suspected LPR who underwent 24-hour multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring were included from June 2020 to March 2022. Manifestations of NBI endoscopy included submucosal clustered brownish microvessels (CBMs), spotted brownish microvessels, and no special microvessels; the latter 2 formed the non-CBM group. The manifestations of all patients and their changes were observed after 8 weeks of proton pump inhibitor and symptomatic treatment for patients with LPR, and symptomatic treatment for patients without LPR.

RESULTS

According to the results of 24-hour multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring, the incidence of submucosal CBMs was significantly higher in patients with LPR (30 cases) than in those without LPR (37 cases, P < .001), particularly in the posterior cricoid area (P < .001). Besides Reflux Finding Score, the incidence of signs such as subglottic edema and vocal fold edema was significantly higher in the CBM group than the non-CBM group (P < .05). Finally, 22 patients with LPR (91.7%) and only 2 patients without LPR (28.6%) underwent a transformation from CBMs to spotted brownish microvessels after continuous medication for 8 weeks in the CBM group (χ² = 15.916, P < .001), while no significant change was observed in patients with or without LPR in the non-CBM group (P > .05).

CONCLUSION

Submucosal CBMs in the posterior cricoid area under NBI endoscopy may be a characteristic of LPR.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 4

Changes of Pepsin Concentration in Saliva Sample According to Storage Period

OBJECTIVES

To determine whether the concentration of pepsin in the saliva sample changes according to the storage period of the sample.

METHODS

Forty eight patients with suspected laryngopharyngeal reflux were included in this study. Saliva samples were collected from each patient and each sample divided into six and stored for different period of time. Pepsin concentration was measured using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. A comparison was made between the pepsin concentration measured immediately and the concentration measured after storage for 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months.

RESULTS

No significant difference in pepsin concentrations were detected between the sample analyzed immediately and those analyzed at 1 week, 2 weeks, 1 month, and 3 months after saliva collection. A significant difference in pepsin concentration was observed in the sample analyzed immediately and the sample analyzed 6 months after saliva collection.

CONCLUSIONS

Pepsin concentration in saliva samples did not demonstrate a significant difference between the concentration measured immediately and the concentration measured 3 months after saliva collection, although a significant difference was observed in the concentration measured 6 months after collection.

Meta-analysis of Proton Pump Inhibitors in the Treatment of Pharyngeal Reflux Disease

The present study aimed to examine the safety and healing effects of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) in people with laryngopharyngeal reflux disease (LPRD). To find all relevant studies published before April 1, 2022, we searched the PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Clinical Trials, Cochrane Library, CNKI, and Wanfang databases. For SLE, we looked for all randomized controlled clinical trials related to PPIs versus placebo-controlled treatment of LPRD. Overall efficiency, reflux symptom index (RSI), reflux finding score (RFS), improvement in cough and hoarseness, and adverse reactions were compared using the Review Manager 5.3. Using the reflux symptom index (RSI) as an outcome indicator for efficacy assessment, the PPI group showed significant improvement compared with the placebo group [MD = 3.35, 95% CI (1.34, 5.37, P < 0.05)]. In terms of overall efficacy, the PPI group showed effectiveness, but its efficacy was not statistically significantly dissimilar from that of the placebo group [OR = 1.62, 95% CI (0.89, 2.95), P > 0.05].

[Effect of proton pump inhibitort on salivary pepsin concentration in patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux]

Objective:To investigate the effect of proton pump inhibitor（PPI） treatment on salivary pepsin concentration in laryngopharyngeal reflux（LPR）. Methods:152 patients with suspected LPR complaining non-specific symptoms such as foreign body sensation, dry throat, phlegm and other non-specific symptoms were enrolled， in the Second Affiliated Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University from August 2019 to December 2020. According to the scores of reflux symptom index（RSI） and reflux finding score（RFS）, all the patients were divided into LPR （+） group and LPR （-） group, RSI （+） group and RSI （-） group, RFS （+） group and RFS （-） group . Patients in the LPR （+） group were reassessed after 1 month of PPI treatment. Saliva samples were collected from all the patients at initial diagnosis and follow-up diagnosis after treatment. The salivary pepsin concentration was determined by enzyme linked immunosorbent assay （ELISA）. The differences of RSI, RFS scores and salivary pepsin concentrations before and after treatment were compared. Results:The median concentration of salivary pepsin in LPR （+） group was significantly higher than that in LPR （-） group, and （73.01 ng/mL vs 25.66 ng/mL, P<0.01）, the median concentration of salivary pepsin in RFS （+） group were significantly higher than that in RFS （-） group（78.00 ng/mL vs 35.79 ng/mL, P<0.01） Furthermore, the median scores of RSI （11.00 vs 7.00, P<0.05） and RFS （9.00 vs 7.00, P<0.01） of LPR （+） patients notably decreased after PPI treatment for 1 month, and the salivary pepsin median concentration was memorably lower than that before treatment（53.60 ng/mL vs 46.49 ng/mL, P<0.05）. Meanwhile, the scores of symptoms such as pharyngeal paraesthesia, heartburn, chest pain, stomachache, and the scores of signs such as false vocal fold, erythema or congestion, vocal fold edema, posterior commissure hypertrophy and thick endolaryngeal mucus were conspicuously lower after treatment than those before treatment（P<0.05）. Conclusion:After 1 month of PPI treatment, the scores of partial symptoms and signs, and the salivary pepsin concentrations of LPR patients decreased significantly, suggesting that pepsin plays an important role in the pathogenesis of LPR, and pepsin may be closely related to the symptoms and signs such as pharyngeal paraesthesia and vocal fold edema.

Salivary peptest for laryngopharyngeal reflux and gastroesophageal reflux disease: A systemic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

A rapid lateral flow test (Peptest) to detect pepsin in saliva/sputum has been considered as a valuable method for diagnosing laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The aim of this meta-analysis is to analyze the utility of Peptest for diagnosis of LPR and GERD.

METHODS

PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochran Library (from January 1980 to 26 January 2020) were searched for pepsin in saliva for LPR/GERD diagnosis. Sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, negative likelihood ratio, diagnostic odds ratio, and area under the curve data were summarized to examine the accuracy.

RESULTS

A total of 16 articles that included 2401 patients and 897 controls were analyzed. The pooled sensitivity and specificity for the diagnosis of GERD/LPR with Peptest were 62% (95% confidence interval [CI] 49%-73%) and 74% (95% CI 50%-90%), respectively. The summarized diagnostic odds ratio and area under the curve were 5.0 (95% CI 2-19) and 0.70 (95% CI 0.66-0.74), respectively.

CONCLUSION

Peptest shows moderate diagnostic value for LPR and GERD. More studies with standard protocols should be done to verify its usefulness.

Are Multiple Tests Necessary for Salivary Pepsin Detection in the Diagnosis of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux?

OBJECTIVES

To evaluate the necessity of multiple salivary pepsin tests within a day when diagnosing laryngopharyngeal reflux.

STUDY DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

Tertiary hospitals.

METHODS

A total of 138 patients with signs and/or symptoms associated with laryngopharyngeal reflux were included. Salivary pepsin was detected on the day of 24-hour pH monitoring, and the results of salivary pepsin detected once in the morning and multiple times in 1 day were compared with the results of pH monitoring.

RESULTS

Among the 138 patients, pH monitoring results were positive in 112. Salivary pepsin was positive in 47 cases in the morning, which was not consistent with the results of pH monitoring (kappa value = 0.117). With the pH monitoring results as the standard, the salivary pepsin detected once in the morning had a sensitivity of 38.4% (43/112) and a specificity of 84.6% (22/26) for the diagnosis of laryngopharyngeal reflux. When salivary pepsin was detected multiple times per day, 102 patients tested positive. The consistency with pH monitoring was moderate (kappa value = 0.587). The sensitivity was 86.6% (97/112), and the specificity was 80.8% (21/26). Of the 97 patients with positive results from pH monitoring and salivary pepsin detected multiple times a day, 54 had negative findings for a single detection in the morning, indicating that 55.7% (54/97) of the true positive cases were missed.

CONCLUSION

Although a single detection of salivary pepsin in the morning is more economical, the sensitivity is too low, and it is necessary to detect it multiple times a day.

Proton pump inhibitors for the treatment of laryngopharyngeal reflux disease: A protocol for systematic review and meta-analysis

BACKGROUND

Laryngopharyngeal Reflux disease refers to abnormal reflux of gastric contents through the esophagus into the throat, which irritates and damages the pharyngeal mucosa, and causes corresponding symptoms. Proton Pump Inhibitors are an important class of gastric acid secretion inhibitors after H2 receptor blockers, which can be used clinically to treat peptic ulcer, abnormal gastric acid secretion and other related diseases. The common clinical drugs include omeprazole, lansoprazole, rabeprazole and so on. Clinical practice has shown that Proton Pump Inhibitors have a good therapeutic effect on Laryngopharyngeal Reflux disease, but evidence of evidence-based medicine is lacking. The purpose of this protocol is to systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of Proton Pump Inhibitors in the treatment of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux disease and to improve the evidence-based basis for the clinical application of Proton Pump Inhibitors in the treatment of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux disease.

METHODS

English computer retrieval database (PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, the Cochrane Library) and Chinese computer retrieval database (Wanfang Database, VIP Information Chinese Journal Service Platform, Chinese Biomedical Database) . In addition, Baidu Scholar and Google Scholar were manually searched for randomized controlled clinical studies on the treatment of laryngeal reflux disease with Proton Pump Inhibitors from the establishment of the database to July 2020. Two researchers independently extracted and evaluated the data of the included studies, and meta-analysis was conducted on the included literatures with RevMan5.3 software without language restrictions.

RESULTS

In this study, the efficacy and safety of Proton Pump Inhibitors in the treatment of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux disease are evaluated by the overall response rate, clinical symptom remission rate and other indicators.

CONCLUSIONS

This study will provide reliable evidence-based evidence for the clinical application of Proton Pump Inhibitors in the treatment of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux disease.OSF Registration number: DOI 10.17605 / OSF.IO / NY6SC.

The Role of Salivary Pepsin in the Diagnosis of Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD) Evaluated Using High-Resolution Manometry and 24-Hour Multichannel Intraluminal Impedance-pH Monitoring

BACKGROUND The Lyon Consensus classification confirms or rules out gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD). The refractory symptoms of patients with GERD taking proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are challenging in clinical practice. Salivary pepsin concentration was proposed as a diagnostic biomarker for GERD. We aimed to determine the diagnostic value of salivary pepsin concentration for patients with conclusive GERD, based on the Lyon classification, and the correlation of salivary pepsin concentration with parameters of high-resolution manometry and 24-h multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH in patients with PPI-refractory symptoms. MATERIAL AND METHODS Saliva samples obtained from 130 patients who were suspicious for GERD and had PPI-refractory symptoms were used for pepsin determination using the enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. All patients underwent upper gastrointestinal endoscopy, high-resolution manometry, 24-h multichannel intraluminal impedance, and pH recording and were classified as conclusive GERD, inconclusive GERD, and evidence against GERD groups according to Lyon classification. RESULTS Salivary pepsin concentration was 8.2 ng/mL (3.8-17.8 ng/mL), 4.0 ng/mL (2.3-6.1 ng/mL), and 2.4 ng/mL (2.2-3.1 ng/mL) in conclusive GERD, inconclusive GERD, and evidence against GERD groups, respectively (P<0.001), and had a negative correlation with distal mean nocturnal baseline impedance and positive correlations with acid exposure time, total number of reflux events, and esophagogastric junction type. The area under the ROC curve of salivary pepsin for conclusive GERD was 0.76 (0.68-0.84), with a sensitivity of 76.36% and a specificity of 63.41% for conclusive GERD diagnosis at a cut-off value of 4.21 ng/mL. CONCLUSIONS Salivary pepsin test had moderate diagnostic value for conclusive GERD by Lyon classification in patients with PPI-refractory symptoms.

Saliva Pepsin Concentration of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Patients Is Influenced by Meals Consumed Before the Samples

OBJECTIVES/HYPOTHESIS

To assess the impact of diet on the saliva pepsin concentration of patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR).

STUDY DESIGN

Non-controlled Prospective Study.

METHODS

Patients with positive LPR regarding hypopharyngeal-esophageal impedance-pH monitoring (HEMII-pH) were enrolled from three European Hospitals. Patients collected three saliva samples, respectively, in the morning (fasting), and 1 to 2 hour after lunch and dinner. Patients carefully detailed foods and beverages consumed during meals and before the pepsin samples. The 3-month treatment was based on the association of diet, proton pump inhibitors, alginate, or magaldrate regarding the HEMII-pH characteristics. Reflux Symptom Score (RSS) and Reflux Sign Assessment (RSA) were used for assessing the pre- to posttreatment clinical evolution. The Refluxogenic Diet Score and the Refluxogenic Score of a Dish (RESDI) were used to assess the refluxogenic potential of foods and beverages. The relationship between saliva pepsin concentration, HEMII-pH, RESDI, RSS, and RSA was investigated through multiple linear regression.

RESULTS

Forty-two patients were included. The saliva pepsin concentration of the 24-hour period of testing was significantly associated with foods and beverages consumed during the testing period and the evening dinner (r_s = 0.973, P < .001). RSS and RSA significantly improved throughout treatment. The level of saliva pepsin in the morning was a negative predictive factor of the therapeutic response regarding RSA and RSS (P < .036).

CONCLUSIONS

Foods and beverages may significantly impact the saliva pepsin concentration of patients with LPR. Patients with high-level saliva pepsin in the morning had lower therapeutic response compared with those with low-level saliva pepsin.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

4 Laryngoscope, 131:350-359, 2021.

Evaluation and Management of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux Disease: State of the Art Review

OBJECTIVE

To review the current literature about the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment of laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR).

DATA SOURCES

PubMed, Cochrane Library, and Scopus.

METHODS

A comprehensive review of the literature on LPR epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment was conducted. Using the PRISMA statement, 3 authors selected relevant publications to provide a critical analysis of the literature.

CONCLUSIONS

The important heterogeneity across studies in LPR diagnosis continues to make it difficult to summarize a single body of thought. Controversies persist concerning epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnosis, and treatment. No recent epidemiologic study exists regarding prevalence and incidence with the use of objective diagnostic tools. There is no survey that evaluates the prevalence of symptoms and signs on a large number of patients with confirmed LPR. Regarding diagnosis, an increasing number of authors used multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring, although there is no consensus regarding standardization of the diagnostic criteria. The efficiency of proton pump inhibitor (PPI) therapy remains poorly demonstrated and misevaluated by incomplete clinical tools that do not take into consideration many symptoms and extralaryngeal findings. Despite the recent advances in knowledge about nonacid LPR, treatment protocols based on PPIs do not seem to have evolved.

IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

The development of multichannel intraluminal impedance-pH monitoring and pepsin and bile salt detection should be considered for the establishment of a multiparameter diagnostic approach. LPR treatment should evolve to a more personalized regimen, including diet, PPIs, alginate, and magaldrate according to individual patient characteristics. Multicenter international studies with a standardized protocol could improve scientific knowledge about LPR.