can anxiety cause you to feel like your throat is closing
Are you one of those people who suffers from a sore throat due to stress?
Do you have a stressful personality and do you constantly have a sore throat?
We will tell you later that stress and mental disorders can manifest with a feeling of tightness and blockage of the throat. Have you ever heard the term Globus pharyngeus or read about it somewhere?
Globus pharyngitis is the same as the constant feeling of obstruction of the throat. In the absence of a real obstruction, a person with Globus pharyngeus will feel a sore throat without actually holding a body inside the throat.
Although this feeling will be very annoying, but it will not interfere with the swallowing and breathing of the infected person, in other words, the Globus pharyngeus will not prevent you from breathing or swallowing.
Stress and anxiety can cause Globus pharyngeus, and constant sore throat may add to the sufferer's stress, and this fear of suffocation exacerbates the person's restlessness.
Join us to learn more about the connection between a sore throat and anxiety.
Physical causes
Sore throat and anxiety
Many people describe the feeling of obstruction in their throat as the presence of a lump in the throat, while others describe this feeling as a feeling of scratching and suffocation.
Of course, sometimes gastric reflux into the esophagus may also induce a feeling of physical attachment to the throat, which does not go away as long as the person clears the throat.
But the subject of this article is about Globus pharyngeus and the relationship between the feeling of obstruction of the throat and stress
It will not be painful, but it is very annoying.
The main difference between Globus pharyngeus and other disorders that cause a feeling of obstruction in your throat is that despite the feeling of a sore throat, there is no real mass in the throat.
Remember Globus pharyngeus is different from swallowing or dysphagia. A person with dysphagia cannot swallow fluids or fluids or both easily. In other words, there is difficulty in swallowing in dysphagia, but be aware that sometimes some people with dysphagia may say when they swallow that they think they are suffocating or that they are worried that they will suffocate.
Some people with Globus pharyngeus report that the feeling of a lump or tightness in their throat temporarily improves after drinking fluids or after eating, or temporarily completely disappears.
It is interesting to note that ancient and Hippocratic physicians believed that people with these symptoms were hysterical, and so this disorder has been called Globus hystericus for some time.
But today, doctors say that Globus pharyngeus does not only occur for psychological reasons, but sometimes there are really physical reasons for such statements, meaning that people do not necessarily express this feeling out of ignorance or falsehood.
Cause of Globus pharyngeus
Why do some people have a sore throat in times of stress?
Doctors believe that a diagnosis of Globus pharyngeus can be made when there is no sign of a lump or gland around the throat and larynx.
Sometimes the sensation of a mass in the throat or globe is due to the presence of minor inflammation in the structures of the throat and larynx, and sometimes no physical findings are found on examination and examination.
Doctors believe that a diagnosis of Globus pharyngeus can be made when there is no sign of a lump or gland around the throat and larynx.
Sometimes the sensation of a mass in the throat or globe is due to the presence of minor inflammation in the structures of the throat and larynx, and sometimes no physical findings are found on examination.
Doctors say minor inflammations in the back structures of the mouth can sometimes cause a throat-like sensation.
Physical causes
- Dry mouth, throat and mucous membranes:
Following dry mouth and mucous membranes of the throat and larynx, the mucous membranes of these areas may feel dry as pressure, and you sometimes perceive this feeling as a feeling of something sticking or stuck in your throat.Many internal disorders and even medications can cause dry mouth and mucous membranes
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease or GERD:
In this disorder, which is one of the most common gastrointestinal problems, due to the looseness of the lower esophageal sphincter, gastric juice, which contains digestive acids and enzymes and eaten food, rises from the loose sphincter down the esophagus and enters the esophagus.
Most of the time, only the lower part of the esophagus is involved in repeated contact with gastric juice, and therefore heartburn and pain and burning in the back of the sternum are common and classic symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux, but there are cases of gastric reflux that reach the gastric juice to the throat. Sometimes in addition to the throat, they also affect the larynx, This condition is similar to lump in the throat after vomiting.
These cases will cause the following symptoms:
- Feeling of a sticky body in the throat
- Feeling of a foreign body stuck in the throat
- Constant need to clear the throat
- Chronic cough
- Existence of redness and inflammation of the throat
- voice change and violence
Bad breath, and internal tooth decay are all signs and symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease.
Constant stimulation of the throat with gastric juice is said to cause spasm of the muscles of the throat and larynx, which will result in the object getting stuck in the throat.
Sometimes there is a lump or tissue lump in the throat wall of some people which is called Zenker diverticulum.
- Muscle problems and disorders:
There are a variety of myopathies that can involve the throat and larynx muscles to create a globular sensation in the throat, including:
- Myasthenia Gravis
- Myotonia
Other causes:
- Inflamed and swollen thyroid or enlarged thyroid
- Benign masses of the throat and larynx and the back of the mouth and upper esophagus
- Cancer tumor
- Mucosal lesions
- Eosinophilic esophagitis:
is actually inflammation and swelling of the esophagus following stimulation with allergens.
By rejecting the above, the doctor will probably consider stress and anxiety problems as the cause of the Globus pharyngeus.
There are many people who, during periods of anxiety or depression, feel a lump in their throat or temporarily feel that they may suffocate while swallowing food.
Sometimes people experience a temporary feeling of tightness in the throat during mood swings.
statistics
Credible statistical studies show that about four percent of all patients referred to ENT clinics complain of Globus pharyngeus.
Also, according to reliable statistics, seventy-eight percent of all people who visit the General Clinic have a complaint of Globus pharyngeus alone or with other symptoms.
Because inducing a feeling of suffocation in a person causes a wave of fear and anxiety, so most people with the disease are taken to doctors' clinics.
We have said that the term globus hystericus has been common since ancient times and this term is attributed to the sign of an individual who has no structural problem in his throat.
People are often young women with a history of stress and mood swings.
Sometimes an increase in the sensitivity of the nerves in the throat can set the stage for a change in our perception of the throat.
As a side note, sometimes in the old medical textbooks, Globus hystericus was classified as a group of mental disorders called conversion disorders or hysteria. These disorders are much more common in women than men.
Diagnosis
We do not have any specific tests that can independently detect Globus hystericus.
The way to diagnose Globus hystericus is to rule out other causes of pharyngeus.
That is, physicians when they encounter a client who complains of a lump or a sore throat, First, with a thorough examination, they should rule out the existence of physical and structural causes, the presence of a mass, cysts, and, and finally, the feeling of a stuffy throat should be related to the person's mental problems and underlying anxiety.
Generally, the following tests are performed in the diagnostic path to rule out physical causes
Observation the end of the throat.
Direct observation of the larynx or laryngoscopic studies (there are techniques available today that also film movements and contractions of the laryngeal wall)
Endoscopy of the esophagus
Thyroid tests and clinical thyroid examinations should also be performed.
By ruling out all possible physical causes, it will probably be possible to diagnose Globus hystericus.
What is the treatment for Globus hystericus?
There is no specific treatment.
Basically, the best course of action is to treat problems and mental disorders and control the person's anxious situations.
Resolving mental problems will help a lot to solve a person's throat problem.
Anti-depressant and anti-anxiety drugs can be very helpful if given correctly.
It is recommended to treat gastric reflux in addition to the above treatments.