Severe pain when swallowing: causes, symptoms and remedies for odynophagia

If you experience severe pain while swallowing and feel like scratching in your throat, this article is for you.

Have you ever heard of odynophagia?

Odynophagia is the medical term for painful swallowing, a disorder in which swallowing is difficult. Painful sensations may occur in the mouth, throat or along the oesophagus. This discomfort can be felt while swallowing food and drink, but also when swallowing saliva. Most of the time, odinophagy can resolve quickly, but in other cases it may persist over time and may indicate the presence of more serious health problems. Odinophagy can be associated with several underlying health conditions, so there is no universal cause or treatment.

Have you ever wondered what the causes of odynophagia might be?

A wide range of factors can cause painful swallowing, including:

• Infections (cold, flu, sore throat): a sore throat, especially when intense, can make even the simplest daily activities difficult. Although it usually resolves within a few days, those days can be really hard to bear. A sore throat is often accompanied by a persistent pain or burning in the throat, and swallowing can become a painful experience.
• Inflammation: inflammation of the mouth, throat or oesophagus that can be caused by tonsillitis, pharyngitis, laryngitis or oesophagitis.
• Acid reflux: when gastric acid flows up from the intestine into the stomach and sometimes reaches the throat, it causes pain and inflammation.
• Weakened immune system.
• Injuries (in the mouth, throat or oesophagus): injuries can result from physical accidents, surgery or eating food containing sharp parts.
• Tobacco and alcohol: these substances can cause discomfort in the mouth, throat and oesophagus, causing pain when swallowing.

What are the possible symptoms of odynophagia?

Odynophagia symptoms can be short-term or long-term depending on the cause of the pain. Some of the common symptoms that can be experienced are:

• Dull, burning or sharp, penetrating pain in the mouth, throat or oesophagus during swallowing.
• Severe pain when eating dry food, and sometimes both liquids and solids can cause the same level of pain.
• Coughing and runny nose.
• Hoarseness of voice: abnormal change in voice, with a difficulty in making clear vocal sounds.

When odynophagia occurs due to an infection, other typical symptoms of an infection may appear, such as fever, widespread pain, fatigue and a general feeling of discomfort.

How to deal with odynophagia?

Treatment depends exclusively on the cause behind the appearance of odynophagia.

However, if the pain is due to an inflammation in the throat, tonsils, mouth or oesophagus caused by an infection, taking antibiotics may be beneficial. In addition, to alleviate the pain and burning caused by inflammation in the throat, tonsils, mouth or oesophagus, there are specially formulated sprays and throat gels that act directly on the inflamed area. In addition, anti-inflammatory drugs can be used to further reduce inflammation.

To relieve pain during swallowing, there are also natural remedies:

• Herbal teas with soothing and moisturising ingredients: ginger, sage, eucalyptus, propolis, lemon or other are beneficial.
• Honey and milk.
• Mountain pine syrup to relieve pain.

In some cases, odynophagia resolves very quickly, but it can also persist in the long term, so it is always useful and advisable to consult the pharmacist or your doctor for an effective and effective treatment.