Despite the large number of articles published on laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), an overview of the conditionreveals many unclear points. Currently there is no ‘‘goldstandard'' for a definitive diagnosis of this very prevalent problem and its consequences. The concept of refluxappears to be present without objective criteria. On theother hand, epidemiological studies on this topic have shownan increase in its incidence.1,2 Is it more common in thecommunity and overlooked by patients or physicians? Werepatients whom we thought had LPR, in fact, misdiagnosed?Is this one of the reasons, or the main reason, for treatment failure in LPR? While the answers to these questionsremain unclear, assessing the relevance of LPR and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) based on what we knowwill contribute to a better understanding of the LPR conceptand its unclear boundaries.
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