Surely at some point in your life you have experienced the sensation of a lump in your throat. Do you know why this can happen? We’ll explain it to you….CONTINUE READING
The sensation of a lump in the throat is a very annoying and frequent perception. Most people who experience it feel that their throat is going to close and that they can’t breathe.
The truth is that this discomfort may be related to different health problems. However, one of the main causes is anxiety.
In these cases, it’s usually calledglobus hystericus, although it’s important to emphasize that it has nothing to do with hysteria itself.
It’s important to recognize the symptoms that accompany this problem in order to differentiate what’s causing it. Therefore, in this article, we’ll explain everything you need to know about the feeling of a lump in the throat.
The feeling of a lump in the throat is a symptom that can have numerous origins . In most cases, finding an exact diagnosis is quite complicated for a physician.
The problem lies in the fact that the discomfort is a frequent manifestation of an underlying anxiety problem. This means that in many patients a physical cause isn’t found and there’s a tendency to request different complementary examinations that delay the appropriate treatment.
This sensation of a lump in the throat is referred to as globus hystericus when the cause is anxiety. The mechanism by which it’s produced is still unknown.
According to the MSD Manual , it could be because the muscles that make up the throat contract. Another hypothesis is that it is due to gastroesophageal reflux, which is a disease also frequently associated with stress and anxiety gastritis.
Distinguishing whether the cause is anxiety or another reason can be complicated, as we have already mentioned. Hysterical ballooning is sometimes confused with disorders affecting the esophagus or thorax.
For example, it can be confused with esophageal spasm, or tumors in the neck or rib cage. These diseases are also often accompanied by the sensation of a lump in the throat, in addition to difficulty swallowing (dysphagia) or even breathing.
Other less frequent causes of a lump in the throat are the following:
When a lump in the throat is caused by anxiety, it usually has some characteristic features. Contrary to what one might suppose, this sensation doesn’t appear at times when stress is experienced most.
In fact, the opposite is true. It’s more frequent for it to form in moments of calmness, which makes it more complex to associate it with nervousness.
Another characteristic is that it usually alters speech.
This is because the choking sensation and the tension in the throat, where the vocal cords
are located, prevent natural speech.
When this discomfort appears, the first thing to do is to analyze if there are other accompanying symptoms or signs. In the same way, it’s necessary to try to understand if the cause is stress, nervousness, or anxiety. However, this can be complex.
There are a number of signs and symptoms that suggest that behind this annoyance hides a pathology other than anxiety. For example, that the area of the neck is sore or that it’s really difficult to swallow solids or liquids.
If a lump is noticed in the neck, there’s loss of weight and the lump in the throat appears suddenly , it could be a tumor (such as the cancer of the esophagus). Other symptoms that may occur, as explained by theAmerican Cancer Society, are muscle weakness and constant regurgitation of food.
Above all, this is a valid suspicion in those who are over 50 years old. According to information from the Mayo Clinic
, the following are risk factors for esophageal cancer:
If other pathologies are ruled out and it’s confirmed that the cause is an anxiety problem, the most important thing will be to look for stress management. In these cases, although it isn’t an emergency situation, it’s just as important to achieve an appropriate approach to improve the quality of life.
In order to rule out different diagnosis, doctors have a variety of tests available. According to the Diagnostic Protocol for Esophageal Balloon Sensation, the most commonly used are the following:
The truth is that, if you have any discomfort or questions, it’s always better to go to the doctor.
However, in the event that any of the above-mentioned warning signs appear, the appointment should be sought rapidly. The sooner the cause is ascertained, the better the chances of an adequate approach….CONTINUE READING