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The following is a summary of “Clinical Characteristics and Impact of Inducible Laryngeal Obstruction in the UK National Registry,” published in the May 2024 issue of Allergy & Immunology by Haines, et al.

Inducible laryngeal obstruction (ILO) involves inappropriate laryngeal closure during breathing, causing airflow obstruction at the glottic and/or supraglottic level and resulting in breathlessness. Limited information was available on the demographics and impact of ILO. For a study, researchers sought to report the clinical and demographic characteristics of individuals with ILO who were prospectively enrolled in the UK national ILO registry.

Participants with endoscopically confirmed ILO, attending four specialized ILO centers across the UK, were enrolled into a web-based registry from March 2017 to November 2019. All participants provided written informed consent.

The study included data from 137 individuals. Most (87%) exhibited inspiratory ILO, requiring provocation during endoscopy to elicit symptoms. There was a predominance of females (80%) with a mean age of 47 (SD, 15 years). Common comorbidities included asthma (68%) and reflux (57%). Healthcare utilization was high: 88% had visited emergency healthcare services due to symptoms at least once in the past year, and nearly half had been hospitalized. One-fifth had required critical care admission due to ILO symptoms. Significant morbidity was reported, with 64% experiencing impaired functional capacity (≥3 on the Medical Research Council Dyspnoea Scale) and one-third reporting that symptoms affected their ability to work.

The study provided the first multicenter prospective characterization of individuals with endoscopically diagnosed ILO. The findings revealed that ILO was associated with substantial morbidity and high healthcare utilization, comparable to severe asthma. The data will help inform future healthcare resource allocation and guide research priorities.

Reference: sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S2213219824000837