Foreign body sensation on one side of the tongue root

The foreign body sensation on one side of the root of the tongue is mostly caused by inflammation, cysts and other diseases, and requires special examination in the hospital for a confirmed diagnosis. It is recommended to go to the ENT department of a regular hospital for professional examination and then receive targeted treatment. In addition, drink plenty of water, avoid spicy food, and develop good eating habits. This article introduces the possible causes and influencing factors of foreign body sensation at the root of the tongue. Let’s take a look.

(1) Non-organic factors

Abnormal sensations in the pharynx may occur in patients with pharyngeal neurosis, hysteria, suspected cancer, schizophrenia, and anxiety.

(2) Organic factors

① Chronic inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. Rhinitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis, etc. can cause pathological changes in the peripheral circulation of the pharynx, resulting in nerve dysfunction and causing abnormal sensation.

② Neuromuscular spasm diseases. Pharyngeal muscle spasm and esophageal muscle spasm can induce pharyngeal paresthesia symptoms.

③Neck disease. Such as excessively long styloid process, bone growth or deformity of the cervical vertebrae, etc.

④Reflux esophagitis and gastric disease. May produce a reflexive blockage or tightness in the pharynx.

⑤ Some anemic patients also experience pharyngeal obstruction and difficulty swallowing.

⑥ In the early stages of cancer in the pharynx, larynx, esophagus, and cardia, the only symptom may be a paresthesia in the throat.

1. Pharyngeal diseases: various types of pharyngitis, chronic tonsillitis, tonsil stones, polyps, keratosis, cysts, scars and abscesses, and excessively long uvula. Foreign bodies, scars, tumors in the nasopharynx, oropharynx and laryngopharynx, varicose veins, cysts, tumors, styloid process syndrome at the root of the tongue, and pharyngeal diverticula can all lead to a foreign body sensation in the throat.

2. Nasal diseases: Nasal and nasopharyngeal diseases such as sinusitis and nasopharyngeal inflammation can also lead to foreign body sensation in the pharynx.

3. Laryngeal diseases: such as superior laryngeal neuritis, rheumatic cricoarytenoid arthritis, epiglottic cyst, abnormal epiglottal morphology, laryngeal perichondritis, angioneurotic laryngeal edema, cricopharyngeal muscle and pharyngeal constrictor muscle spasm, etc. Esophageal diseases such as esophageal spasm, diverticulum, achalasia, early malignant tumors, traumatic esophagitis, reflux esophagitis, cardiac spasm, diaphragmatic hiatus, etc.

4. Neck diseases: such as neck lumps, fistulas, lymphadenitis, thyroglossal cysts, thyroid inflammation, tumors and others such as dental diseases, ear diseases, glossopharyngeal neuralgia, carotid arteritis, etc., can all cause a foreign body sensation in the throat.

5. In addition, mental factors can also cause this disease, such as mood swings and long-term excessive tension, fatigue, etc. Most of these patients become ill due to anger, anxiety, depression, grief, suspicion and other factors.

1. Long-term nasal congestion and mouth breathing: The nasal cavity has the function of heating and moistening the air. When there is hypertrophic rhinitis or excessive burning of the inferior turbinate, the nasal cavity loses its physiological function, causing dry and cold air to reach the throat directly and cause dryness and pain.

2. Long-term nasal postflow irritates the throat: Common in patients with chronic rhinitis, purulent secretions can destroy the ciliary activity of cells on the surface of the throat, making it easy for bacteria to grow.

3. Persistent or recurrent throat infection: Repeated "colds" or "tonsillitis" can cause phlegm or a foreign body sensation in the throat.

4. Gastric acid reflux burning the throat: This is common in people who like to eat and drink a lot before going to bed and then fall asleep immediately. The acidic gastric juice will flow back and burn the esophagus and throat. Due to long-term irritation, patients often find burning, dry and sore throat when waking up.

5. Irritating diet and improper oral hygiene: like to drink, eat spicy and irritating food, smoke after meals, but forget to brush teeth and rinse mouth regularly. In this way, every meal is an irritation and you will soon get chronic pharyngitis.

6. Talking too much and not enough water: Talking too much will cause dry mouth and tongue, and some middle-aged and elderly people do not secrete enough saliva. At this time, they should drink more water. Drinking small amounts of water multiple times can moisturize the throat better than drinking a large amount of water at one time.

7. Work pressure, emotional tension, and sleep disorders: Middle-aged women often feel a foreign body sensation in the throat due to this, which may be caused by tight throat muscles due to stress or excessive tension. In addition, because the symptoms cannot be relieved, people worry about the growth of tumors in the throat. Long-term psychological pressure is likely to aggravate the symptoms. More than half of the patients will have their symptoms alleviated after detailed examinations have ruled out tumors in the throat. Sleep disorders prevent the throat from getting enough rest, so of course they will feel uncomfortable.

8. Working environment with high temperature, high dust content, or irritating gases: People who are in a bad working environment for a long time are more likely to suffer from chronic pharyngitis.

1. Pharyngeal diseases

1. Chronic hypertrophic pharyngitis: There is a history of repeated attacks of acute pharyngitis, with persistent foreign body sensation, obstruction, distension, swallowing discomfort, and sensitive pharyngeal reflex in the throat. There are viscous secretions in the throat, and there are often "grunting and snapping" movements. In severe cases, it can cause irritating coughs. Examination revealed granular or flaky lymphoid tissue on the posterior pharyngeal wall, and cord-like protrusions of lymphoid tissue behind the pharyngeal palatine arch. The tonsillar mucosa is chronically congested, and the uvula is congested and swollen.

2. Keratosis of the pharyngeal region, cysts or scars with foreign bodies in the tonsils, hypertrophy of the lingual tonsils, varicose veins at the root of the tongue, and epiglottic cysts. Tongue root cyst, etc., it is not difficult to find the above lesions during examination. Hidden areas should be carefully observed and, if necessary, palpated with fingers to determine whether there are any lumps in the area.

2. Diseases of the pharyngeal adjacent organs

1. Pharyngeal and esophageal malignant tumors: In the early stages, there is often a progressively worsening symptom of a foreign body sensation in the pharynx. The symptoms are more obvious when eating, but may be asymptomatic when swallowing an empty stomach. This is an important difference from the paresthesia in the throat caused by functional diseases. When the tumor is small and before other symptoms appear, it is often misdiagnosed as "chronic pharyngitis" or "pharyngeal paresthesia".

2. Cervical spondylosis: lesions of the cervical bones and soft tissues, such as bone hyperplasia and intervertebral disc herniation, can compress the cervical nerves and cause symptoms of foreign body sensation in the pharynx. Cervical spine X-ray can confirm the diagnosis.

3. Laryngeal diseases: rheumatic cricoid arthritis, rheumatic superior laryngeal neuritis, laryngeal cysts, and early supraglottic cancer can cause symptoms of foreign body sensation in the pharynx.

4. Nasal disease: Chronic purulent sinusitis causes pus discharge from the posterior nasal cavity, which often irritates the pharyngeal wall and causes this symptom.

5. Styloid process hyperplasia: Due to the excessive length of the styloid process or its abnormal position, there is a foreign body sensation in the throat, often accompanied by neck pain and neuralgia. The elongated styloid process can be felt on the lateral side of the tonsillar fossa. X-rays can aid in diagnosis.

6. Reflux esophagitis: Gastric acid stimulates the esophagus, causing its motility disorder and producing symptoms of foreign body sensation in the throat.

7. Gastric or duodenal ulcer, gastritis, gastroptosis, gastric tumor, chronic appendicitis, intestinal parasitic diseases, etc. can all reflexively produce a foreign body sensation in the throat.

3. Systemic diseases

Hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism, indigestion, sexual dysfunction, rheumatism, diabetes, menopausal syndrome, iron deficiency anemia, etc. can all cause a foreign body sensation in the throat.

(IV) Functionality

Functional factors are often related to neurosis, cancer phobia, anxiety, fear, hysteria, etc. Such patients often have relevant mental backgrounds, such as major conflicts in family or among relatives or friends, or mental trauma and stimulation. Whenever one becomes emotionally excited, the symptom of foreign body sensation in the throat becomes more severe, and may appear and disappear, or be mild or severe. No pain when swallowing, heavy pain when swallowing empty stomach. If organic lesions can be excluded, pharyngeal paresthesia can be diagnosed. Traditional Chinese medicine calls it plum pit qi.

(I) Diagnosis of foreign body sensation in pharynx

The main thing is to find the cause of the disease. First, you should inquire about the medical history in detail, then do a comprehensive and careful examination, and analyze the main pathogenic factors in detail from the mechanism aspect. The diagnosis of "pharyngeal paresthesia" should not be considered first, nor should the diagnosis of "chronic pharyngitis" be easily made without repeated and careful examination and observation.

(II) Excluding organic lesions

After excluding obvious organic lesions, treatment and observation can be carried out according to the foreign body sensation in the pharynx caused by functional diseases. If treatment is ineffective, further investigation of the cause should be conducted.

3. Local and systemic examination

1. Ear, nose and throat examination.

2. Psychiatric and neurological examination.

3. Internal medicine examination: including routine examination of blood pressure, blood, urine and stool, determination of basal metabolic rate, upper gastrointestinal tract radiography, AP and lateral neck X-rays, fiberoptic nasal, pharyngeal and esophageal endoscopy, gastric juice analysis, etc.

It is impossible to carry out the above-mentioned examinations one by one in actual clinical work. It is mainly based on medical history and general examination, and necessary examinations are carried out in certain aspects according to specific circumstances.