Is gastroesophageal reflux disease associated with primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction?

To determine if patients with primary acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (PANDO) have an increased prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) compared to the general population.

Cross-sectional case-control study. The Mayo Clinic Reflux Disease Questionnaire (RDQ) is used to help physicians diagnose GERD. The retrospective group consisted of patients who previously had a dacryocystorhinostomy (DCR) over a 4-year period by one surgeon (JTH) at one institution. The prospective group included consecutive patients undergoing DCR over an 8-month period for PANDO. The control group consisted of patients at our institution who did not have complaints related to nasolacrimal duct obstruction (NLDO) or a known history of NLDO. The RDQ score or a previous diagnosis of GERD was recorded for each patient. The prevalence of patients with GERD in each of the groups was compared to that in the control group using the Fisher exact test.

Nine (7.7%) of 117 patients in the control group were found to have GERD. Twenty-four of 65 (36.9%) patients in the retrospective cohort were found to have GERD. Twelve of 18 (66.7%) patients in the prospective cohort were found to have GERD. When the prospective and retrospective groups were compared to the control group, the presence of GERD was higher in patients with NLDO (p < .0001).

Based on the results of this study and compared to the general population, GERD has an increased prevalence in patients with PANDO. GERD may have a role in the development of PANDO.