What does a choking sensation in the throat warn of? Find out now!

Suddenly one day, you feel like there's something strange in your throat, making you uncomfortable and feeling insecure… It could be a feeling of choking in your throat.

Feeling like something is stuck in the throat is very common. It may seem vague at first and doesn't seem to have much of an effect on eating and breathing, but if it persists, it can cause anxiety and negatively affect quality of life.

This subjective sensation may be merely a functional disturbance, with no physical injury at all, but it can also be dangerous if the cause is an existing injury, i.e. the result of an injury. a real pathological change in the pharynx.

In the following article, we invite you to join SignsSymptomsList.com to learn about the symptoms of a blockage in the throat, its causes, how to see it, and how to treat it.

What does it feel like to have something different in your throat?

A feeling of tightness in the throat can make a person feel like something is stuck, itchy, burning, stinging, dry, tight. Some people even feel like a hair, a bone or a pill... in their throat.

When you feel this way, it's your own subjective feeling and your doctor will help determine the cause.

As for the cause, it may be due to a problem in that place, nearby or somewhere further in the body, it may also be due to physiological changes...

Those "unreal" sensations, called "pharyngitis" by experts, are far different in nature from the consequences of an existing lesion in the throat such as a lump, ulcer or foreign body.

If the feeling of choking in the neck is sometimes not, is temporary, indicates when swallowing saliva and decreases or disappears after eating, then there is nothing to worry about.

What does the feeling of being stuck in the throat warn?

Because the feeling of being stuck or choking in the throat has many causes, it is complicated.

In addition to simple local sensory disturbances, this condition is also caused by:

• Local problems : Tonsillitis, pharyngitis, lymphoid proliferation, mucosal thickening, mucosal atrophy, mucosal prolapse, relaxation of pharyngeal sphincter muscles, dysphagia, foreign body stuck in pharynx, papilloma, tumor polyneuropathy, canker sores, syphilis, throat cancer...
• Adjacent problems : thyroid tumor pressing on, parapharyngeal tumor insertion, epiglottitis disease, bone spurs of cervical spondylosis, long mastoid process, cervical spine tuberculosis, gastroesophageal reflux, Outflow from rhinosinusitis, temporomandibular joint dysfunction, decreased salivary gland secretion...
• Other problems: psychological disorders such as stress, depression, anxiety (eg, "choking" or "emotional choking"); Neurological dysfunction, auto-suggestion, premenopausal endocrine disorders, myasthenia gravis...

If you experience persistent or increasing throat discomfort, which becomes more obvious when eating or drinking, you need to see your doctor for an examination.

Feelings similar to choking in the neck

Throat sensation is often confused with dysphagia, but they are two completely different problems. Many people may feel a lump in their throat and find it difficult to swallow at the same time. The cause of this sensation may be the patient's fear that he or she will choke when swallowing food or water. Dysphagia can also cause difficulty swallowing.

Choking on food or foreign objects can also make you feel stuck in your throat. In addition, these objects can move through the larynx and cause shortness of breath. Therefore, if your throat feels stuck after choking, you need to see a doctor for help.

Stuck in the throat, what to do?

There is no single method or formula to cure all cases of throat choking because it is "multiple" and unique to each individual. If the feeling of choking in the neck is related to an illness, treating that condition can help eliminate this discomfort. Saying "maybe" because in some cases, even though the cause has been eliminated, the feeling is still persistent, requiring a follow-up psychotherapy to treat the cognitive behavioral disorder.

When do you really need to see a doctor?

A feeling of tightness in the neck is a fairly common symptom. It is estimated that about 4% of people who come to the ENT clinic have a feeling of being stuck in their throat. Meanwhile, up to 78% of people who visit polyclinics have similar problems.

If a choking in your neck is due to a purely subjective sensation, you can "forget" it and let it go away on its own. However, as mentioned above, if you find that the condition is persistent, getting worse, you should see a doctor as soon as possible. Especially when there are other accompanying symptoms such as:

• Pain in the throat or neck
• Lost weight
• Vomit
• Difficulty swallowing
• Swallowing pain
• Muscle weakness in the throat or other body parts
• Tumors appear around the neck or in the throat
• Symptoms tend to get worse
• Signs of infection or other serious health problems, such as fever or swollen glands.