Incidence of All‐Cause Chronic Laryngitis

Objective 1) Appreciate the most common causes of chronic laryngitis. 2) Understand the incidence of chronic laryngitis in a primary care population. 3) Describe the demographic profile of patients who present to care for treatment of chronic laryngitis. Method A review identified patients diagnosed with chronic laryngitis among an urban academic medical center primary care population from 2009 to 2010. One hundred subjects with chronic laryngitis were selected, and symptoms, first‐visit treatment, smoking, and demographics were recorded. Incidence was calculated by comparison to an existing database of all cases of idiopathic chronic laryngitis. Results Yearly incidence of chronic laryngitis was 19.5 per 1000 people. The 100 subjects consisted of 62 women and 38 men. Race was recorded as black (46), Hispanic (25), white (17), other (12). Age ranged from 20 to 75 years, with a mean of 52.6 years (standard deviation, 12.6 years). Therapies included a proton‐pump inhibitor (77%), voice therapy (21%), nasal steroid (15%), anti‐histamine (6%), amitriptyline (4%), and no treatment (10%). The most common symptoms reported were cough hoarseness (59%), cough (37%), pain/soreness (37%), globus (36%), excessive throat clearing (31%), subjective dysphagia (26%), and throat irritation (19%). 92% were seen by an otolaryngologist. Conclusion We found a yearly chronic laryngitis incidence of 19.5 per 1000 people. In an academic setting, most of these will present to otolaryngologists. The majority was treated using proton pump inhibitors. Hoarseness, cough, and pain were the most common symptoms. Population surveys could better define who presents to care.