Photo Credit: Libre de droit

Patients with retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction (R-CPD), the cricopharyngeal muscle’s inability to relax to allow the retrograde passage of gas, often do not discuss their symptoms with their PCP despite the negative impact on personal and professional relationships, according to a study published in Neurogastroenterology & Motility. Jason N. Chen and colleagues characterized R-CPD and how the inability to burp affected the social lives of people who suffer from it. The study team asked adults experiencing R-CPD symptoms to report their experiences with R-CPD and its impact on social life on a 4-point Likert scale. The study included 199 respondents with a mean age of 30.9 (74% female; 25% male). The researchers observed that 99%, 98%, 93%, and 89% of respondents reported the inability to burp, abdominal bloating, socially awkward gurgling noises, and excessive flatulence, respectively; 55% reported difficulty vomiting. Half of the participants reported discussing symptoms with their PCP; about 90% disagreed that their PCP understood how to help them feel better.