Abstract

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), is caused by the reserve flow of gastric and intestinal contents into the esophagus. The disease can be seen with esophageal (pirosis, regurgitation) and/or extraesophageal (chronic cough, hoarseness, foreign body sensation, snoring, sore throat, chest discomfort and pain etc) symptoms. The prevalence of GERD in the patients with chronic cough is 10 to 40%, while the silent GERD is 43 to 75%. Esophageal vagal reflex and microaspiration into the respiratory tract are responsible for the pathogenesis of this condition. There is no gold standart diagnostic procedure for the patients with extraesophageal reflux findings. Prolonged pH monitoring is recommended for this patients. The treatment of chronic cough caused by GER is a long process, including multiple factors such as most intensive medical treatment, lifestyle changes, anti-reflux surgery.