2024 Author: Josephine Shorter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 21:43
Pain when swallowing: how to treat?
Pain when swallowing is a symptom that can occur with various diseases of an infectious and non-infectious nature. Sometimes painful sensations become the first sign of cancerous growth, but this does not happen often. To understand what is the cause of the pain that occurs when swallowing, you need to contact a doctor for a diagnosis.
Content:
- Causes of pain when swallowing
- Symptoms
- Types of pain
- Diagnostics
- Sore throat treatment
- Prevention
Causes of pain when swallowing
The main and most common cause of pain when swallowing is acute respiratory infection caused by viruses. Less commonly, bacteria cause pain. In this case, the person is diagnosed with tonsillitis. Non-infectious causes can also cause pain.
Viruses that can cause pain when swallowing:
- Influenza and parainfluenza viruses.
- Respiratory viruses.
- Measles virus.
- The virus that causes chickenpox.
- The virus that causes infectious mononucleosis.
Bacteria that can cause pain when swallowing:
- Mycoplasmas.
- Diphtheria bacillus.
- Streptococci.
- Chlamydia.
- Gonococci.
Other causes of pain when swallowing include:
- Allergy. The reaction can occur to any irritant: dust, pollen, wool, food. In addition to painful swallowing movements, a person develops rhinitis, the conjunctiva of the eyes swells, and lacrimation increases.
- Low humidity of the air that a person breathes. For this reason, the mucous membranes dry out, which leads to discomfort in the throat. This problem is especially relevant in winter, when central heating works in the apartment. If, in addition to dry air, a person has problems with nasal breathing, then a sore throat will certainly arise.
- Excessive tension in the muscles of the throat. A similar situation is observed with prolonged singing, with shouting, with a long conversation in raised tones.
-
Reflux esophagitis. In this disease, the contents of the stomach are thrown into the esophagus. Its walls are not adapted for contact with hydrochloric acid. Their irritation occurs, which leads to pain when swallowing.
- HIV. Reduced immunity becomes the cause of pain when swallowing. As a result of this pathology, the body cannot resist infection.
- Cancer tumors. If they are concentrated in the neck or esophagus, then the patient will have difficulty swallowing food. At risk are smokers with experience and people who abuse alcohol.
Symptoms
Pain when swallowing may be accompanied by other symptoms, which will depend on the underlying cause.
If an inflammatory reaction occurs in the throat, then the signs of a violation will be as follows:
- Hyperemia of the mucous membranes, sore throat.
- Increased pain when drinking hot drinks or foods.
- Increased weakness.
- Increased fatigue.
- Headaches.
- Cough. At first it is dry, and then accompanied by sputum.
Types of pain
Depending on the symptoms that bother a person with pain when swallowing, the doctor may make a preliminary diagnosis. Clarify it with additional examinations.
Sore throat when swallowing
The throat most often hurts in people with ARVI. These colds are diagnosed in both children and adults.
Other causes of sore throat when swallowing include:
- Throat abscess.
- Injury received.
- Foreign object entering the throat.
- Angina.
- Diseases of the blood.
- Osteochondrosis of the cervical spine. It is indicated by increased pain at the time of swallowing movements.
To understand the cause of the pain, the doctor will ask the patient some important points. He will be interested in the nature of the pain. It can be sharp, burning, throbbing, dull, pressing. Sometimes the pain occurs from time to time, and sometimes it is present on an ongoing basis.
It is important to tell the doctor exactly where the pain is concentrated: left, right, center, or cover the entire throat. Sometimes pain occurs only during the daytime, and sometimes only at night. All these points are important for making an accurate diagnosis.
Lump or discomfort
A lump in the throat appears in patients with pharyngitis. With this condition, the throat becomes inflamed. Pharyngitis can be viral and bacterial in nature. Other symptoms include cough, fever, muscle pain. If treatment is not started on time, then pharyngitis can turn into bronchitis or sore throat.
Read more: A lump in the throat: how to get rid of?
One side
One-sided pain when swallowing occurs with infection. The most common cause is otitis media. Inflamed lymph nodes, streptococcal damage to the tonsils, diphtheria, scarlet fever and measles can also lead to unilateral pain.
Near the Adam's apple
Pain in the Adam's apple occurs after an injury. It can be bruises, falls, sports injuries. In such situations, the risk of cartilage fracture increases, which causes painful sensations. When a person coughs, blood may be released, sometimes a loud crunch is heard. Asphyxiation may result in severe injury.
Pain in the Adam's apple is characteristic of laryngitis. This disease is caused by viruses or bacteria. Sometimes laryngitis develops against the background of overstrain of the vocal cords and when exposed to chemicals in this area.
Stabbing
A stabbing pain in the throat appears when foreign sharp objects enter it. These can be fish bones, poorly chewed food, pieces of fruit, shells of cereals. If the foreign object is not removed from the throat, the pain will intensify. A person develops a chronic cough, suffocation may develop.
Gives to the ear
If the pain when swallowing radiates into the ear, then inflammation of its tissues can be suspected. In addition to pain, purulent discharge appears, body temperature rises. The general condition worsens, there is no appetite.
Pain in the esophagus when swallowing
Experts call esophagitis the main cause of pain in the esophagus when swallowing. The disease can be caused by the herpes virus or candida. Most often, pathology develops in people with reduced immunity.
The person suffers from chest pain, dysphagia. The severe form of esophagitis is accompanied by nausea and vomiting, fever, chills. In a blood test, an increase in the level of leukocytes occurs. When infected with the herpes virus, blisters appear on the lips and nose.
Candidal esophagitis also occurs against the background of a decrease in immune strength. In a healthy person, candida do not show pathological activity. When they multiply, a person develops pain when swallowing, bleeding develops, and the risk of rupture of the esophagus increases.
Diagnostics
To find out the cause of pain when swallowing, the doctor will prescribe the following tests for the patient:
- General blood analysis.
- General urine analysis.
- Blood chemistry.
- Ultrasound of internal organs.
- Radiography.
- FEGDS.
- CT and MRI.
- Test for tumor markers.
- Blood for hormones.
All of the above studies will not have to be completed. The doctor adjusts the diagnostic scheme depending on the symptoms of the disorder and the patient's condition at the time of admission.
Sore throat treatment
After the doctor makes a diagnosis, he will prescribe the necessary treatment for the patient. It will come down to eliminating the cause of the pathology and eliminating the symptoms of the disease. If a person is diagnosed with tonsillitis, then antibacterial drugs are required. With a viral infection, antiviral agents are prescribed. To relieve pain, analgesics are indicated, and antiseptics are indicated for tissue disinfection.
Diseases such as: tonsillitis, herpetic sore throat, pharyngitis, laryngitis, adenoiditis are most often caused by a viral infection.
With bacterial sore throat and pharyngeal abscess, antibiotics are required. They should be selected by a doctor, based on diagnostic data. Most often, broad-spectrum antibiotics are prescribed. These can be groups of drugs such as: cephalosporins, ampicillins, macrolides.
Lozenges
Lozenges allow you to quickly get rid of pain when swallowing, help eliminate edema and redness, and reduce the number of pathogenic flora in the area of inflammation. The composition of the tablets may vary, but most of them contain a disinfectant and anesthetic component. It is they who provide the healing effect.
More often than others, for a sore throat, drugs are prescribed such as:
- Lizobact
- Strepsils
- Septolet
- Neoangin
- Grammidin
- Septefril
- Streptocide
Throat aerosols and sprays
Preparations in the form of sprays and aerosols allow you to quickly cope with the disease, reduce the intensity of the inflammatory reaction, relieve swelling and pain, and reduce the number of pathogenic flora in the affected area. These dosage forms are used to treat most viral and bacterial throat infections.
The most popular drugs are:
- Ingalipt. It contains streptocide and components that reduce sore throat. Its use makes it possible to eliminate the symptoms of dry cough.
- Givalex. It is an antiseptic agent that is detrimental to most microbial flora.
- Hexoral
- Tantum Verde
- Orasept
- Octenisept
- Lugol spray
- Proposol
- Camenton
Pharmacy rinsing solutions
You can buy ready-made gargle solutions at the pharmacy.
These can be tools such as:
- Chlorhexidine
- Furacilin
- Rotokan
- Miramistin
- Hexoral
In the acute phase of the disease, you need to rinse your mouth at least 6 times a day. The throat should be treated within a few minutes. Then for an hour you should refuse to eat or drink. This will allow the drug to have a full therapeutic effect.
Prevention
To prevent sore throat, you need to follow these guidelines:
- Get hardened.
- Eat properly.
- Get rid of bad habits.
- Do sport.
- Do not drink carbonated or too cold drinks.
- Spend as much time as possible in the fresh air.
The author of the article: Lazarev Oleg Vladimirovich | ENT
Education: In 2009, he received a diploma in the specialty "General Medicine" at the Petrozavodsk State University. After completing an internship at the Murmansk Regional Clinical Hospital, he received a diploma in Otorhinolaryngology (2010)
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