Pain when swallowing
Last reviewed: 23.04.2024
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Physicians call the pain when swallowing in the throat of loneliness. It can cause a variety of diseases: disruptions in the digestive system, as well as bacterial or viral infections that provoke the flu or cold. Dry air can also cause pain when swallowing. Let's look at these causes and symptoms in more detail.
What causes pain when swallowing?
Esophagitis
The causes of this disease are pathogenic microorganisms, in particular, candida or herpes simplex virus. If a person has reduced immunity, he has a higher risk of herpes.
Symptoms are sore throat, pain when swallowing, pain in the abdomen and in the esophagus. If acute esophagitis has a severe course, a person develops vomiting, the body temperature rises, the person becomes shivering, while in the blood tests an increased level of leukocytes is detected. On the lips and under the nose, and also on it appear typical herpetic eruptions, and this is an additional characteristic feature for diagnosis.
In addition to pain during swallowing, esophagitis is accompanied by severe fatigue, and in severe cases, bleeding from the esophagus due to rupture of the thin walls of the esophagus.
To diagnose an infection of the esophagus, it is necessary to conduct an X-ray examination, as well as tests for microflora (bacterial culture). When the causative agent of esophagitis is found, it is much easier to choose a cure. It may include clotrimazole or nystatin, as well as ketoconazole (it is used with reduced immunity). If a person suffers from immunodeficiency syndrome, use flukanozole.
A person does not often suffer from esophagitis if he regularly takes immunostimulants. Strong immunity inhibits the formation of pathogenic microflora. Therefore, one must take care of the strength of one's immunity in order not to fall ill.
Allergy
If a person suffers from an allergy, he may experience pain while swallowing. Allergies can occur on any food, for example, citrus fruits, plant pollen, poplar fluff, as well as animal hair. Symptoms of allergies - red face, sneezing or shortness of breath, runny nose (not passing), pain when swallowing.
Reaction to overdried air in the room
Pain when swallowed can be in a room where the air is overdried. These are offices or a house where air conditioners or fans are constantly turned on. Pain during swallowing can also occur in ecologically unfavorable areas.
Tobacco smoking
Pain during swallowing can often occur due to tobacco smoke, especially in passive smokers. The upper respiratory tract and mucous throat are irritated, pain occurs.
Overstrain of muscles
This factor can also cause pain when swallowing. The muscles of the throat are the same as the whole body, they can also strain and ache. Therefore, they can cause pain. For example, after a person has talked and sung for a long time. This disease is most often affected by artists and teachers.
Gastroesophageal Reflux, or Heartburn
In this disease, bile from the stomach is thrown back into the esophagus. Since this liquid contains caustic hydrochloric acid, a person begins to suffer from heartburn - discomfort in the throat and chest, as well as pain when swallowing. The mucous membrane of the throat can be unnecessarily irritated, and this causes additional pain. Heartburn occurs because of too relaxed sphincter, as well as if its contractions are violated. In this case, a person does not suffer from either a bacterial or a viral infection.
HIV AIDS)
People with very weak immunity, as is the case with AIDS, often experience pain when swallowing, which turns into a chronic one. This is because bacteria and viruses easily penetrate the body with an inactive immune system . Manifestations of such an attack is candidal stomatitis or cytomegalovirus infection. These conditions are dangerous for a person's life, who immediately needs to call an ambulance.
Malignant and benign tumors
These tumors can affect the tongue, throat, ligaments and in general any part of the esophagus. This causes pain when swallowing. Alcoholics and smokers are at risk. The tumor does not develop rapidly - it takes at least a year to develop it. Therefore, every year a preventive examination is necessary for a person to know about the real state of his body and start treatment on time.
What increases the risk of pain when swallowing?
Age features
Pain when swallowing most worried about adolescents and children. This is because the mucous membrane of their throats is too vulnerable to irritation and infections, especially streptococci. The most risky age is from 5 years to 17 years. At this age, pain during swallowing can occur up to 5 times throughout the school year. In adults, the risk of developing this ailment is reduced. It can disturb a person 2.5 times less often.
[13], [14], [15], [16], [17], [18]
Love of oral sex
Oral sex increases the risk of developing pain when swallowing. Gonorrhoeal tonsillitis can affect the mucous throat, if during oral sex the partner infected the partner with gonococci. Since oral sex does not protect a person, infections that cause syphilis, gonorrhea, herpes, and HIV can enter through the throat .
Frequent diseases of the throat and nasal sinuses
It can be sinusitis, various kinds of angina, irritation of the throat. And blame everything - infections that penetrate the body by airborne droplets or in contact with the patient.
Working in a close office
If a person works in conditions of high density of people, it is very easy and simple to get infected with some kind of viral or bacterial disease. Kindergartens, schools, schools, institutes, factories, bus stops, minibuses and trains are all places where it is very easy to get infected with any infection. Why there is pain when swallowing, because the infection, as a rule, affects the respiratory tract.
Dislike of washing your hands
This can be a significant cause of infection by pathogenic (pathogenic) bacteria. If a person often washes his hands with soap, often changes handkerchiefs and once in three months - a toothbrush, he significantly reduces the risk of contracting infectious diseases leading to colds and malfunctions in the work of the gastrointestinal tract. And at the same time and pain in swallowing because of these diseases can be avoided.
If the pain when swallowing bothers you more than three days and becomes acute, you must necessarily call a doctor, so as not to miss the course and development of a serious disease.
Symptoms of pain when swallowing
Pain during swallowing rarely occurs on their own. Most often they are accompanied by other symptoms. On them it is possible to determine what disease at the moment causes pain when swallowing.
Symptoms for colds
- Severe cold
- Lachrymation, fear of light
- Cough, often dry, and then wet
- Pain on swallowing
- Pain in the whole body, aches and pains
- Headache, strong or weak
- High temperature - up to 38.5.
Symptoms of influenza
- Pain when swallowing
- A sore throat
- Strong rise in temperature - above 39 degrees
- Pain in the muscles all over the body
- Hypersensitivity to the skin
- Weakness and fatigue
- Chills
- Increased sweating
- Headache - usually strong
Symptoms of infectious mononucleosis
- Severe pain when swallowing in the throat
- Enlarged lymph nodes in the neck or underarms
- Enlarged tonsils
- Strong headache
- Temperature increase
- Rashes on the skin
- Slight appetite or lack of appetite
- Soft liver or spleen and pain in their area
- Inflamed liver tissue