Jun/090
Gastroesophageal reflux: If you get sick Rigoletto
Next to tuberculosis fatal for Violetta and Mimi, opera singers should breathe a sigh of relief. Their “occupational disease” has another name and, fortunately, a very different prognosis than the disease “prince” of their characters: it is called gastro esophageal reflux, and is the slope of gastric contents into the esophagus, causing inflammation very annoying, with the risk of laryngitis and damage to vocal cords.
To discover that the symptoms of reflux opera singers in afflicting fit almost double than the general population has been a study published in the March issue of the journal Gastroenterology, coordinated by Giovanni Cammarota, a researcher ‘s Institute of Internal Medicine’ s Catholic University Rome, directed by Giovanni Gasbarrini.
Cammarota deals from the time of this disorder.
“Over the years – he says – we encountered many cases of opera singers who suffered from reflux. Based on this clinical observation, we thought it was not just a coincidence. The starting hypothesis of this study is the fact that singers may be more susceptible to illness for the prolonged stress of the diaphragm (the excessive abdominal pressure on the esophageal sphincter is a cause of reflux).
With the help of fellow residents in nine cities where the Opera House (Ferrara, Florence, Foggia, Milan, Naples, Reggio Calabria, Rome, Sassari, Venice), researchers from the Catholic University have therefore given a test to 351 professional singers (157 men and 194 women) and a control sample of 578 subjects in the same territories. And the original hypothesis was confirmed: the frequency with which the singers suffering from two common symptoms of reflux (heartburn – the “heartburn” – and regurgitation) was almost twice that of the population. Among those on the scene of opera houses, is higher than even the prevalence of other symptoms associated with reflux: nausea, dysphasia (difficulty swallowing solid foods), hoarseness, coughing.
“Actually it was not possible to directly observe the disease on our singers,” says Thornton “To do it would take a test called a pH meter, which studies the acidity of the esophagus for 24 hours. And in this case was not possible. Therefore, we used validated questionnaires: Questionnaire, i.e., in which the questions are standardized at the international level to avoid ambiguity. And to establish that you are in the presence of disease symptoms must have passed a certain threshold of frequency (more than twice a week). “
If the results are confirmed by other studies, gastro esophageal reflux could be recognized in all respects as an occupational disease. With all the legal and health consequences resulting “Gastro esophageal reflux disease is a nuisance,” recalls Thornton. “It can impair the quality of life. But for these workers, the consequences could be more serious: the reflux laryngitis and also it can cause damage to vocal cords. And when the situation worsens, many singers could even be forced to discontinue their activities “.