With free swallowing, a person can easily enjoy eating, appreciating its taste. In normal condition, this process should not interfere with anything. No pain appears. But if food is stuck in the throat, then this causes inconvenience. Specialists call dysphagia dysphagia and consider it as a symptom of pathology. What to do in this case is described in the article.
Kinds
It will not work to choose an effective therapy if you do not know about the type of ailment. Since dysphagia is considered a symptom, it can be on the list of various nosological forms. It is understood as a specific disease, which can be a complete diagnosis, have pathogenesis, a list of symptoms. By localization, dysphagia happens:
- oropharyngeal;
- esophageal.
Can food get stuck in my throat? This phenomenon is considered common. In any case, if food is stuck in the throat, it gives an uncomfortable feeling. Therefore, you should be aware of effective methods to eliminate this drawback.
Causes
If food gets stuck in the throat, the causes of this phenomenon may be different. Oropharyngeal dysphagia appears due to:
- obstruction - enlargement of the thyroid gland, lymph nodes;
- neuromuscular disorder;
- features of the location of the teeth in the dentition;
- ulceration of the oral mucosa and its lack of moisture.
Esophageal dysphagia develops with:
- gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD);
- esophageal tumor;
- infectious esophagitis;
- chemical burn of the esophagus;
- esophageal stenosis;
- achalasia of the cardia;
- aortic aneurysm;
- foreign body obstruction;
- spastic dyskinesia;
- atony of the esophagus;
- sideropenia.
These are all reasons why food is stuck in the throat. This phenomenon, of course, causes discomfort. If food is stuck in the throat, then this may be a sign of esophageal dysphagia. Oral oropharyngeal dysphagia is manifested in the form of accumulation of food in the mouth, the inability to take a full swallow, aspiration of food and the appearance of cough, suffocation.
But it should be borne in mind that a clear boundary between the causes of both types of dysphagia is not always noticeable due to several pathologies. There is also acute, chronic, persistent, intermittent and progressive dysphagia. Swallowing is impaired due to compression of the esophagus.
If food is stuck in the tonsils, then the cause may be a violation of swallowing due to pain. And if there is an unpleasant odor in the mouth, then this can confirm the presence of chronic inflammation - tonsillitis. The gland is inflamed, there are traffic jams in the gaps. The sensation that food is stuck in the throat appears due to psychogenic causes (neurogenic anorexia). Often food gets stuck in people with strong emotions.
Dysphagia Detection
To make an accurate diagnosis, research is required. They consist of:
- general analysis of blood and urine, which makes it possible to establish whether there is inflammation;
- taking the contents of the esophagus;
- swallow reflex test, when a person needs to drink liquid under the supervision of a doctor;
- studies of the upper digestive tract using FGS;
- tissue biopsies.
With the help of ultrasound examination, x-rays, magnetic resonance therapy, it will be possible to examine the remaining internal organs that press on the esophagus or stomach. These methods are effective in detecting foreign objects that have penetrated the body and lead to dysphagia.
First aid
A stuck food will block the airways and cause suffocation. The consequence of this dangerous condition may be death. When food is stuck, breathing should be assessed. A dangerous case is when the airways are not completely blocked and the patient cannot make sounds or cough. With partial overlap, coughing will be a defense. In this way, the body itself tries to eliminate the stuck pieces of food. To completely remove food, you need to continue to cough. It is important to control that the respiratory throat does not block.
Treatment
What to do if food is stuck in the throat? Due to the variety of factors due to which this phenomenon occurs, the methods of its treatment differ. But there is an algorithm by which the therapy scheme is formed. It consists of:
- diet correction;
- correction of eating habits;
- conservative methods;
- surgical intervention.
Each item has its own nuances. Read more about them below.
Diet correction
If food is constantly stuck in the throat, then you need to adjust the diet. It will be especially useful if the food gets stuck with GERD, esophageal ulcer, esophagitis, sideropenia. It is important that the diet is balanced. Food is prepared in the following ways:
- cooking;
- quenching;
- baking.
Do not use irritating foods, alcohol. Nutrition allows you to improve your condition in a short time.
Eating habits
If you have a sensation of a stuck food in your throat, you need to adjust your eating habits. You should not allow hasty snacks, as well as food in an uncomfortable position. Still need to change the rules of eating with GERD. The following rules must be followed:
- dinner is required no later than 2 hours before bedtime;
- Do not allow overeating, you need to eat without haste, carefully;
- food should be chewed thoroughly, even if it is soft;
- food should be divided into small pieces, and drink the liquid in small sips;
- dishes should have a comfortable temperature;
- you should choose clothes that do not squeeze the stomach;
- you can not go to bed for 1.5 hours after eating;
- the head of the bed should be raised 15-20 cm;
- Do not bend for an hour after eating.
It is important to give up smoking, alcohol. Food should not include irritating ingredients (spicy seasonings). If a piece of food is stuck in the throat and there is pain, if discomfort in the mouth occurs due to dryness, ulcers, changes in the teeth, then you need to find the root cause and eliminate it with the help of an effective treatment.
Conservative therapy
This type of treatment consists of taking medications and non-invasive procedures that are required to alleviate the condition. Conservative therapy includes gargling and physiotherapy. Although these methods are more gentle, they are not always effective. Often they are combined with surgical treatment.
What to do when food is stuck in the throat? The following procedures will be helpful if this happens for the first time or if the food lump is delayed due to esophageal diverticulum:
- It is necessary to drink a little warm liquid.
- A change in body position is required.
- It is necessary to introduce air into the esophagus with an “empty” pharynx.
If food is getting stuck in your throat constantly, you need to carry water, juice or another soft drink with you. Such patients should not eat dry or solid food, if there is no drink, then even a small piece can lead to discomfort, causing pain behind the sternum.
All these methods are effective for spasm of the esophagus, a very large amount of swallowed food. They are not suitable for patients suffering from narrowing of the esophagus due to a tumor, scarring, systemic scleroderma. If you are aware of the risk of spasm of the esophagus, then you should not allow physical exertion and the simultaneous use of food, emotional experiences during the meal. You can ask your doctor about adding citric acid to your food, what is needed to improve swallowing reflexes.
Medicines
Long-term conservative treatment is used in the treatment of GERD, hiatal hernia, esophageal ulcer, chronic esophagitis. In addition to following a diet, medications are taken:
- proton pump inhibitors (Lansoprazole);
- antacids ("Almagel");
- prokinetics ("Motilium");
- H2-blockers ("Famotidine");
- bismuth products ("De-nol").
For the treatment of achalasia of the cardia, diffuse spasm of the esophagus, a diet with a predominance of soft foods is used, nitrates, calcium channel blockers, local anesthetics, antispasmodics, vitamin B, sedatives are prescribed. In violation of contractile activity of the esophagus, physiotherapy is effective.
With infectious esophagitis, antibacterial, antifungal, antiviral agents are used. With scleroderma and sideropenia, treatment of the underlying disease is necessary.
Surgical therapy
This type of treatment is used when conservative methods do not help. If there are obstacles in the way of food promotion, then the food will linger in the lumen of the digestive tract, without penetrating into the lower sections. In some people, the inability to eat food in the usual way (with the help of the mouth) leads to exhaustion, since they swallow only a small amount of liquid food.
Surgical treatment is effective for:
- neoplasms;
- achalasia of the cardia stage 3-4;
- a diverticulum that is difficult to empty;
- esophageal stenosis.
Food jams due to swelling cannot be treated with conservative methods. The neoplasm is removed, but this is not always allowed because of its size and anatomical location. Therefore, surgical therapy is combined with conservative chemotherapy.
The effectiveness of the surgical method is considered in each case separately. There are many methods of surgical treatment. Only a specialist should choose a treatment option. Surgical methods include gastrostomy - the formation of a channel in the abdominal cavity, which will help to carry out human nutrition, bypassing the esophagus. This method is used when there is a high risk of aspiration and if it is not possible to feed through the nasopharynx. Now there is a technique for percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy, which is a less traumatic method.
Trapping food in the throat is a dangerous and unpleasant sensation. If this happens often, and other symptoms are also observed, then you should immediately consult a doctor. Diagnosis and treatment of dysphagia is performed by an otolaryngologist, as well as specialists in abdominal surgery. The first examination is usually carried out by a therapist.