Throat Symptoms

1. Sore Throat
Sore throat is a pretty common problem everyone faces. To some people, it can turn out to be a far more significant issue, but it is easily diagnosable and treatable in most cases.
Common causes of a sore throat would be:

1) The most typical cause of a sore throat is a self-limiting viral infection (acute pharyngitis/viral pharyngitis); usually, symptomatic treatment is all that is necessary.

2) Silent gastro-oesophageal reflux. Most people commonly consider acid indigestion as being heartburn felt in the chest, or stomach acid may escape from the stomach and reach the throat, causing discomfort. Several medications are there to suppress the acid reflux, but the diagnosis is dependent on the medical history along with the endoscopy.

3) Acute tonsillitis is a viral infection and is a pretty common infection. There is difficulty in distinguishing the bacterial and viral infections of the throat. Treatment should be taken care of according to the symptoms, and hydration is critical. The use of antibiotics has somewhat conflicting views as it eradicates bacterial issues readily but still should not be prescribed unless completely necessary.
Most of these conditions are taken care of by a General Physician rather than an ENT specialist. If the condition persists despite the physician’s medication, then the tonsils may be removed as it is a relatively better option.

4) Muscle tension – chronic sore throats may be the result of muscle tension, either due to poor position or associated with voice abuse.

2. Hoarse voice

Laryngitis is a more common reason for hoarse voice rather than viral pharyngitis. A hoarse voice can be an alarm for smokers as a symptom of voice box cancer; any person above age 40 should immediately seek medical attention if a hoarse voice persists for more than six weeks. Another reason for a hoarse voice can be an excessive strain on the voice box due to extensive use of the voice box, which is pretty standard for singers, actors, or teachers. Smokers have higher chances of hoarse voice along with gastroesophageal reflux.

3. Neck Lumps

The appearance of lumps or tumors (carcinogenic and non-carcinogenic, both) in the neck is relatively standard. But lumps larger in size that are visible from the outside are rare. The need to clear the throat frequently, and change in voice are some common symptoms. If this condition exists for prolonged periods without any change in the person’s weight or diet, there is unlikely to be a severe issue, but if there is a change in the importance and diet of the patient- there might be a huge problem. Larger lumps visible to outside observers must always be perceived earnestly. The reasons or causes may vary due to the multitude of organs present in this area, but a skilled ENT physician can jot down the precise reason and propose the right treatment.
The area affected by the lump explains a lot about the type of swelling and the probable causes.

1) The Lymph glands. Multiple lymph glands are present in the body and within the neck region. Lumps may be a result of inflammation or infection. There are many lymph glands within the neck and indeed the whole human body. Lumps in this area may be due to an illness inflammation or a malignant process. Thus, lumps in the neck region that persist for over three weeks must not be ignored and diagnosed immediately.

2) Thyroid gland. should it become enlarged (goiter). Usually, the cause of this is a benign goiter, which consists of multiple cysts. There may be a benign lump or rarely a malignant lump. Diagnosis usually rests on blood tests, a needle biopsy, and sometimes an ultrasound examination.

3) Salivary glands. including parotid and submandibular – The parotid gland just below the ears on either side and the submandibular gland tucked on either side of the jawbone are primary saliva-producing glands along with many smaller glands present in the region. They may swell up because of infections or may get obstructed due to tumors or some sort of lumps. The operations for removing the submandibular or parotid glands are delicate ones and include a lot of expertise.

4. Cancer of the head and neck

Cancers of the head and neck are somewhat rare but still dangerous. Most of these cancers are caused due to overexposure to the human papillomavirus or smoking. Tobacco and alcohol consumption may also be contributing factors. Alas, many of these are detected quite late and hence, require complex surgeries and radiotherapies for treatment. Upon early detection, the success rate is reasonably high. If a smoker notices the following symptoms, he/she must consult a medical expert as soon as possible: