Usually the throat is disturbed due to the appearance of painful sensations in it. Then they begin to look for causes and solutions to the problem. At the same time, there are some uncomfortable sensations that affect the quality of life, but do not always force a person to go to the doctor. What is this discomfort and what does it signal, aif.ru told Candidate of Medical Sciences, otorhinolaryngologist of the highest qualification category Vladimir Zaitsev.
The first problem is the flow of mucus along the back of the pharynx
One of the main causes of discomfort in the throat, you can even call it the leader of the rating, is the flow of mucus along the back of the throat. The problem is called postnasal drip (post – behind, nasus – nose), that is, something flows behind the nose. That something is slime. It can be taken from different parts of the nasopharynx.
So, for example, it can be adenoids. It is believed that this is a childish problem, but it is not. With age, the human nasopharynx does not disappear anywhere, and the adenoids do not disappear anywhere. If there were problems with them in childhood, and it was possible to wait until the whole process goes down, the tissue still remains, it’s just not so convex and bumpy. And when an infection gets in, they become inflamed, swell and swell, begin to secrete mucus.
The inferior turbinates can also produce mucus. Moreover, a paradoxical situation may arise when the front ends are dry, a person feels dry, and flows behind.
The third point producing excess mucus is the sinuses. There are many of them – maxillary, cells of the ethmoid labyrinth, frontal, sphenoidal. From each of them it can leak a little, together forming a tangible stream. And the discomfort will be impossible. A person can even stop working and only think about blowing his nose or spitting out everything that accumulates. It is especially hard for him in the mornings, when a lot has accumulated overnight. Only a doctor can help to cope with the problem – self-medication here will not help in any way.
The second problem is the sensation of a lump in the throat.
This is the second most common cause of discomfort. Moreover, such a feeling can be both true and false. In the second case, we are talking about psychosomatics. Here, specialized doctors – otorhinolaryngologists, neurologists and endocrinologists – do not find anything, but the discomfort persists. For example, it can be an unconscious manifestation in a person when reading the news, when it literally intercepts the throat.
The cause of the true sensation of a lump in the throat is the dryness of the back of the throat. It is called subatrophic pharyngitis or even atrophic pharyngitis, when the dryness is very strong, and with it a feeling of coma appears. You also need to see a doctor.
The third problem is the feeling of a stuck hair
It happens that there is a feeling as if a hair stuck in the throat. In fact, of course, what interferes has nothing to do with real hair. Here the reason lies in the fact that the soft palate sticks to the back of the throat. There is a palatal uvula, which can be seen if you look into the mouth, above it there is a border of the soft palate. There are people who naturally have a short neck, where the likelihood of the soft palate sticking to the back of the throat is very high. And people suffer greatly from this situation.
Problem four – perspiration / burning / soreness, not associated with a cold
When such unpleasant sensations appear in the throat, most often we are talking about the drying of the mucous membrane. For example, it can be sharp when a person enters a room where the air is unfavorable (some kind of industrial production), he inhales the air in which there are suspensions, and his throat immediately dries up.
If a person in such conditions is often and for a long time and without proper protection, he may develop atrophic pharyngitis, when he has to walk all the time with a bottle of water. But that doesn’t help matters. Only a doctor can and should treat overdried mucous membranes.
There is also a momentary perspiration that appeared, bothered a little and passed without a trace – this may indicate that an infection got into the throat, but the palatine tonsils quickly got involved in the matter and neutralized it.
The fifth problem is the feeling of a foreign body in the throat
This can happen if a plug has formed in the palatine tonsil. The diameter of the tonsil lacuna is smaller than the assembled masses, then a characteristic sensation will appear. You can see such a cork – just open your mouth and look in the mirror. If a pebble is noticeable in the thickness of the palatine tonsil, you should consult a doctor. It is impossible to try to squeeze plugs out of the tonsils on your own – there is a risk of leading to serious consequences and serious inflammation.
If there is any feeling of discomfort in the throat, which can periodically pass and reappear, you should not try to wait it out, it is better to seek the advice of a doctor who can solve the problem quickly and easily and prevent the process from becoming chronic.
