RESUMO
Background General practitioners (GPs) have a significant role in the diagnosis of patients with laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR). Some published data revealed a lack of knowledge among GPs about the disease, consequently, this lack of knowledge impacted their performance. This survey aims to assess the current knowledge and practice of general practitioners regarding laryngopharyngeal reflux in Saudi Arabia. Methodology This survey study was conducted to assess the current knowledge and practice of general practitioners regarding laryngopharyngeal reflux in Saudi Arabia using an online questionnaire. The questionnaire was distributed and collected from the five regions in Saudi Arabia, which are The Central Region (Riyadh, Qassim), Eastern Region (Dammam, Al-Kharj, Al-Ahasa), Western Region (Makkah, Madinah, Jeddah), Southern Region (Asir, Najran, Jizan), and Northern Region (Tabuk, Jouf, Hail). Results In the current study, we collected data from 387 general practitioners, 61.8% of whom were aged between 21-30 years old, and 57.4% of the participants were males. Moreover, 40.6% of the participants thought that both LPR and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) share pathophysiology, however, they are two different diseases considering their clinical presentation. Moreover, it was found that heartburn was the most known symptom of LPR among the participants (Mean score 2.14 (SD=1.31), where a lower score indicated more relation). Considering the treatment of LPR, 40.6% and 40.3% of the participants reported using proton pump inhibitors once or twice daily respectively. In contrast, antihistamine/H2 blockers, alginate, and magaldrate were used to a lesser extent as reported by 27.1%, 21.7%, and 12.1%. Conclusion The current study showed limited knowledge among general practitioners considering LPR with a higher rate of referring patients to other departments depending on symptoms which may increase the pressure on other departments of mild cases.
RESUMO
Background Tonsillitis is defined as an inflammation of the tonsils, which is a common clinical condition caused by either bacterial or viral infections. It affects a significant percentage of the population especially children. Chronic tonsillitis (CT) is described as when an individual suffers from seven or more attacks of tonsillitis per year. Aim This study aimed to determine the prevalence and management of CT among patients attending all secondary care hospitals in Rabak city, Sudan. Methods A cross-sectional descriptive study was conducted in June-September 2022. A structured questionnaire was used to screen 297 Patients who presented to all ENT clinics within the study period. Out of the 297 patients, 77 patients were confirmed to be having CT based on the inclusion criteria. Data collected were analyzed using SPSS version 21 and arranged into a simple frequency table. Results The prevalence of CT was found to be 25.9 % (77) among all screened patients. The majority (67.5%) of the patients with CT were male, and mostly between the age of 11-20 years (32.4%). A considerable number of them (32.4%) were residing in the urban-industrial part of the city, and about 36.3% are not working. All the patients with CT complained of throat pain, while 88% presented with red inflamed tonsils. Laboratory investigations of these patients revealed 64% to have Neutrophilia, while 54 and 50% had high ESR and positive ASO titer, respectively. 57% of the patients underwent tonsillectomy while (30%) were managed medically. Conclusion The prevalence of CT was found to be high in the agro-industrial area of Rabak city and more among teenagers, and most cases were managed by tonsillectomy.
