What Do People Find When They Google RCPD?

September 3, 2025

Internet search interest in retrograde cricopharyngeal dysfunction (RCPD), also known as “no-burp syndrome,” is at an all-time high, according to research done in the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth Houston and published in Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery.

“Our objectives were to describe the Google search volume for RCPD, identify the most common queries related to the disorder, and evaluate available online resources,” says Andrew Tritter, MD, director of the Texas Voice Performance Institute™, chief of laryngology, and an assistant professor of otorhinolaryngology.

Using Ahrefs and SearchResponse web explorers, the researchers documented Google search volume for RCPD and “People Also Ask” questions. They determined that volume has increased continually since 2021, with a combined average of 6,287 searches per month. Most “People Also Ask” questions were related to technical details and treatments.

They also evaluated the quality and readability of the sources using Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) benchmark criteria, the Flesch Reading Ease score, and Flesch-Kincaid Grade Level. “Because the websites that answer these questions are most often academic or commercial, none of the resources provided through Google searches met the criteria for universal readability and only 15% met all of JAMA’s quality metrics. If more online resources provide information about RCPD in layman’s terms, more people will benefit,” Dr. Tritter says.

Two medical students at McGovern Medical School – Nathaniel Hunter and Aidan Wright – came up with the idea for the observational study. “They did the research and delivered me a manuscript in three weeks’ time,” Dr. Tritter says. “Dr. Vivian Jin, one of our second-year residents, helped with the writing.”

Reference

Hunter N, Wright A, Jin V, Tritter A. Retrograde Cricopharyngeal Dysfunction: A Google Search Analysis. Otolaryngol Head Neck Surg. 2024 Dec;171(6):1808-1815. doi: 10.1002/ohn.1022. Epub 2024 Oct 16.

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