Symptoms and manifestations of chronic pharyngitis

The most widely known symptom of chronic pharyngitis is "throat discomfort and foreign body sensation". Clinically, in addition to these, there are many other manifestations such as dry throat, itching, pain, etc. It can be seen that the symptoms of chronic pharyngitis are diverse, and different patients with different degrees of illness have different manifestations at different stages.

1. Dryness in throat. Depending on each person's feeling, some people feel very dry, but most people only feel slightly dry. This condition is related to autonomic dysfunction in the pharynx (hyperactivity of the sympathetic nerves).

2. Sore throat. It is mostly caused by inflammatory stimulation. Most of the time, the pain is mild. In acute attacks, the pain is more obvious, or it is biased to one side, or in a certain part, or the specific part cannot be pointed out.

3. Foreign body sensation in throat. It is related to inflammatory stimulation, autonomic nervous system dysfunction caused by lymph follicle hyperplasia, etc. The sensation of foreign body in the throat means that there is something stuck, sticking or adhering in the throat. Many patients cannot clearly explain what it is. Some people also say that it feels like "there is phlegm sticking", "ants crawling", "burning", "heat rushing up", "as spicy as eating chili peppers", and other sensations, etc. The more you pay attention to this feeling, the more obvious it becomes; when you are busy at work and your mind is relaxed, and your attention is not focused on the throat problem, it seems like nothing happens.

4. Itchy throat. It is related to sensory nerve dysfunction in the pharynx, inflammatory stimulation, or allergic factors. The feeling of itchy throat is also a kind of "foreign body sensation in throat", which is very similar to the feeling of "ants crawling" and can easily cause coughing.

Why do people with chronic pharyngitis always cough?

Coughing is an instinctive self-protection action of the human body, which is to cough out things that cause discomfort in the lungs, trachea, and throat; because of this, coughing becomes a symptom of lung, trachea, or throat disease. If the throat itches, the itching will cause paroxysmal coughing with little sputum, and it is often accompanied by allergic pharyngitis.

Patients with chronic pharyngitis often "clear their throats" or "cough halfway". It may be caused by a foreign body sensation or the formation of bad habits. Throat clearing refers to when the patient feels discomfort in the throat, he or she consciously or deliberately makes a "crunching" sound in an attempt to make the throat feel comfortable; half a cough refers to when the patient feels discomfort in the throat, he or she coughs unconsciously and unknowingly without actively coughing hard.

Other symptoms of chronic pharyngitis

A small number of patients may experience a strong odor in the mouth, or bad breath, which is related to dry stools, or what Chinese medicine calls heat in the lungs and stomach.

Some patients also have symptoms of dry hiccups. Also called "dry retching", it refers to the tendency to feel nauseous and vomit, especially when rinsing the mouth in the morning. It is mainly due to the increased sensitivity of the throat during pharyngitis, which is called "stomach qi reflux" or "stomach disharmony" in traditional Chinese medicine. It is mainly related to the oversensitivity of the pharyngeal sensory nerves.