The uncomfortable sensations that arise during the act of swallowing indicate the presence of malfunctions in the work of individual organs and systems. A lump in the throat after eating can be accompanied by burning, pressure, pain and choking. Pathological symptoms have a destructive effect on the patient's well-being and quality of life, which often leads to the development of depressive conditions.
Pathological symptoms have a destructive effect on the patient's well-being and quality of life, which often leads to the development of depressive conditions.
The sensation of a foreign body in the respiratory tract is a consequence of the development of mental or somatic diseases. Concomitant clinical manifestations make it possible to accurately determine the type of disease and, accordingly, choose the optimal way to solve the problem. Ignoring the symptom entails formidable consequences, in particular, with the development of infectious diseases, tissue abscess or even blood poisoning is not excluded.
A lump in the throat - what is it?
Patients can interpret the manifestation of discomfort in the airways in different ways. Some complain of painful swallowing of saliva, which appears immediately after eating, others of burning, cramps and soreness in the throat. Some patients claim that a foreign body in the throat prevents them from breathing normally, which leads to panic attacks.
Along with discomfort in the larynx, patients often complain of a number of certain concomitant manifestations, namely:
- nausea;
- stomach pain;
- fever;
- chronic fatigue;
- dizziness;
- moderate chest pain;
- apathy;
- panic attacks.
Based on the above complaints, it is almost impossible to make an accurate diagnosis. The disease can be determined only after undergoing hardware diagnostics, during which the doctor must conduct fibrogastroscopy, evaluate the results of a biochemical blood test and bacterial culture from the patient's throat.
Causes
Why is there a lump in the throat after eating? The sensation of a foreign body in the airways is a typical manifestation of over 30 different diseases. Due to the fact that discomfort appears mainly immediately after a meal, the doctor first of all excludes or confirms the presence of gastroenterological pathologies.
In some cases, obstruction of the pharynx is caused by smooth muscle spasm, the formation of tumors and psychogenic disorders. If the patient claims that he has a lump in his throat after eating, this may indicate the development of the following diseases:
- gastroesophageal reflux;
- hernia of the esophagus;
- dysphagia;
- myasthenia gravis;
- aortic aneurysm;
- diverticulum of the esophagus;
- infectious inflammation;
- "Hysterical lump".
Stenosis of the throat causes hypoventilation of the lungs, due to which the patient may fall into a coma.
Many patients are in no hurry to go to specialists, as they are afraid to find a tumor or other serious disease that cannot be treated. It should be borne in mind that in 93% of cases, timely treatment reduces the risk of developing severe pathologies by 3-4 times. To determine what exactly caused the appearance of discomfort in the pharyngeal region, it is worth considering common diseases and their accompanying clinical manifestations.
Dysphagia
Dysphagia is a violation of the act of swallowing, which prevents the normal passage of food and fluid through the esophagus. Pathology can appear as a result of septic inflammation of the trachea, esophagus, larynx and oropharyngeal mucosa. Most often, dysphagia develops against the background of diffuse esophageal spasm or the formation of benign and malignant tumors.
Dysphagia is accompanied by specific manifestations, which include:
- periodic cough;
- Difficulty swallowing saliva;
- pain when food passes through the esophagus;
- penetration of food particles into the trachea or larynx.
In most cases, patients have difficulty eating only solid foods. Therefore, at the time of undergoing therapy, they adhere to a diet that consists in eating only a liquid consistency of food.
Gastroesophageal reflux
Gastroesophageal (gastroesophageal) reflux is the throwing of duodenal contents into the airways through the esophageal sphincter. Aggressive acids contained in gastric juice penetrate into the mucous epithelium of the respiratory tract, which leads to burns. In this regard, patients complain of a burning sensation, a feeling of a lump in the pharynx, dryness of the mucous membrane and pain when swallowing saliva.
Reflux can appear immediately after eating or taking a horizontal position. Passive throwing of gastric masses into the oropharynx provokes the appearance of a sour taste in the mouth. The cause of pathological reflux is:
- increased intra-abdominal pressure;
- overweight;
- decreased tone of the esophageal sphincter;
- a sharp decrease in the clearance of the esophagus;
- an increase in the level of acidity of gastric juice.
Irrational intake of medications leads to a decrease in the tone of smooth muscles, which entails the development of pathological reflux and discomfort in the pharyngeal region.
The development of gastroesophageal reflux is evidenced by heartburn, hiccups, frequent regurgitation of food, sensation of a foreign body in the larynx, moderate pain in the stomach. Untimely elimination of the problem entails ulcerative and erosive damage to the mucous membranes of the airways. In addition, pathological processes in the gastrointestinal tract lead to metaplasia, i.e. replacement of squamous cell epithelium with a cylindrical one, which greatly increases the risk of developing cancer.
Hiatal hernia
Hiatal hernia is a sluggish pathology characterized by an expansion of the diameter of the esophageal opening, in which part of the esophagus is displaced into the chest cavity. In the absence of violations, the abdominal part of the gastrointestinal tract is located in the abdominal cavity. The development of a hiatus hernia in patients is indicated by the following clinical manifestations:
- hiccups;
- heartburn;
- hoarseness of voice;
- chest pain;
- burning sensation in the throat;
- sensation of a foreign body in the larynx;
- glossalgia (soreness of the tongue);
- dysphagia (difficulty moving food through the esophagus).
A lump in the throat in pregnant women often occurs as a result of increased intra-abdominal pressure due to the development of the uterus.
During meals, food can get stuck in the esophagus due to the weakening of the musculo-ligamentous apparatus of the gastrointestinal tract. Relaxation of the musculature leads to the expansion of the opening of the esophageal canal, as a result of which the formation of a hernial orifice is observed.
Myasthenia gravis
Myasthenia gravis or false bulbar palsy is a pathology characterized by rapid fatigue of muscle tissue. In the development of neuromuscular disease, autoimmune disruptions play a key role, which lead to damage to the masticatory muscles and impaired swallowing. The provocateurs of pathological processes are:
- frequent stress;
- emotional stress;
- chronic pathologies;
- decreased immunity;
- irrational reception of immunocorrectors.
The sensation of a lump in the throat, associated with rapid muscle fatigue, is most often diagnosed in adolescent patients.
Against the background of intense physical exertion, an increase in fatigue is observed in absolutely all muscle groups. Nutrition becomes a real problem for patients, since the muscles of the pharynx practically do not contract while swallowing food. Each meal is accompanied by a change in voice and dysarthria.Constant choking increases the risk of fluid aspiration and respiratory obstruction.
Aortic aneurysm
Abnormal enlargement of the aorta in the neck area leads to compression of the pharyngeal muscles, as a result of which there is a feeling of a lump in the larynx. Aortic aneurysm occurs as a result of dystrophic changes in the structure of blood vessels or inflammatory reactions. At the same time, patients report that they feel like there is a lump in the area of the Adam's apple, which makes it difficult to breathe and the act of swallowing.
Most often, aortic aneurysm occurs against the background of the development 
syphilis, infectious pathologies, atherosclerosis and diabetes mellitus. The enlarged part of the vessels creates excess pressure on the muscles of the pharynx, trachea and inferior laryngeal nerve. The development of the disease is evidenced by:
- dry cough;
- discomfort when swallowing;
- sensation of a foreign body in the throat;
- hoarseness of voice;
- aching sore throat;
- asthma attacks;
- hemoptysis.
Important! A lump in the throat resulting from the expansion of the aorta can provoke a spasm of the pharyngeal muscles and asphyxiation.
Diverticulum of the esophagus
Diverticulum of the esophagus is a protrusion of the layers of the esophageal wall caused by deformation of the esophagus. Pharyngeal-esophageal diverticula occur against the background of inflammatory reactions in the gastrointestinal tract or a decrease in the tone of the muscular layer of the esophagus. As a rule, pathology, in which a lump can "stand" in the throat area, is preceded by gastroesophageal reflux, lymph node tuberculosis and esophageal candidomycosis.
The symptoms of esophageal diverticula are determined by their location. Pharyngeal-esophageal diverticula are most often accompanied by:
- dysphagia;
- feeling of a coma in the throat;
- painful swallowing;
- burning sensation in the oropharynx;
- hypersalivation (salivation);
- putrid odor from the mouth.
Late elimination of pharyngoesophageal diverticula entails the development of neck phlegmon.
The disease is treated with medicines in a hospital under the supervision of a gastroenterologist. During therapy, patients should refuse to eat solid foods in favor of liquid cereals, cream soups, etc. Surgical treatment of pathology is carried out only in the presence of extensive defects, which are accompanied by perforation of the esophageal walls, dysphagia and internal bleeding.
Infectious inflammation
Infectious diseases are one of the most common causes of discomfort in the larynx, pharynx and trachea. Inflammatory reactions in the mucous epithelium lead to tissue hypertrophy, as a result of which there is a narrowing of the lumen in the airways. Pathogenic agents provoke not only inflammation, but also allergic reactions, as a result of which the mucous membranes swell, which increases the risk of pharyngeal stenosis.
Burning sensation, painful swallowing and sensation of a lump in the throat occur with the development of diseases such as:
- pharyngitis;
- rhinorrhea;
- laryngitis;
- tonsillitis;
- sinusitis;
- pharyngomycosis;
- tracheitis;
- laryngotracheitis.
Most colds are accompanied by general symptoms of intoxication - headaches, myalgia, fever, chills, fatigue, etc. Inadequate treatment of pathologies entails the chronicization of inflammatory processes, in which morphological changes in tissues are observed.
Hysterical lump
"Hysterical lump" is a neurogenic pathology in which a complex of uncomfortable sensations arises in the throat. Patients with mental disorders complain of a lump in the airways just above the thyroid cartilage. In every third case, patients feel a burning sensation and perspiration between the jugular vein and the thyroid cartilage.
Why does a neurogenic coma arise and how to eliminate it? This symptom indicates the presence of mental disorders, which are often caused by stress, panic attacks, hysteria and neurasthenia. Excessive stress on the nervous system leads to disorders, as a result of which there is a spasm of the muscles of the pharynx.
The discomfort increases immediately after a meal, as the narrowing of the lower part of the pharynx interferes with the normal passage of food through the esophagus. It is possible to eliminate the spasm of the muscles of the larynx and pharynx with the help of sedative drugs, antipsychotics and antidepressants. Only a neurologist can determine the exact cause of the appearance of a "hysterical coma".
