Globus is a symptom that can make you feel like you have a lump in your throat. It is also called 'globus sensation'. Globus can be caused by many things, such as an increased tension of muscles or irritation in the throat.
The most common causes of globus pharyngeus are anxiety and gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), a form of acid reflux that causes the stomach's contents to travel back up the food pipe and sometimes into the throat. This can result in muscle spasms that trigger feelings of an object caught in the throat.
The symptoms of globus vary from person to person, however, in most cases, the symptoms tend to fluctuate in severity. Although the symptoms can be present for months, or even years, the symptoms do not usually get progressively worse.
Esophageal dysphagia. Esophageal dysphagia refers to the sensation of food sticking or getting caught in the base of your throat or in your chest after you've started to swallow. Some of the causes of esophageal dysphagia include: Achalasia.
The main symptom of an esophageal stricture is dysphagia, meaning difficulty in swallowing. This may manifest as a sensation of food sticking or feeling of delay in food passage in the throat, chest or upper abdomen.
Globus sensation is a persistent sensation of a lump in your throat, regardless of whether something is actually stuck. Globus sensation has no specific treatment, and in most people, the sensation will go away on its own.
Many conditions that cause irritation and inflammation of the pharynx, such as pharyngitis, tonsillitis, and chronic sinusitis with postnasal drip, can be the cause of globus sensation by producing increased local sensitivity[28,44].
Globus pharyngeus or globus sensation is the painless sensation of a lump in the throat and may be described as a foreign body sensation, a tightening or choking feeling. It is often associated with persistent clearing of the throat, chronic cough, hoarseness, and catarrh.
Given that it's warm and simple to swallow, soup is often considered to be one of the most calming foods to eat when you're unwell. Make a batch of chicken soup if you have a globus sensation due to an infection or if you simply want to feel better.
Some people's symptoms may disappear within a few weeks with lifestyle changes and over-the-counter medications. However, for others, GERD can be a chronic condition that requires long-term treatment.
The consumption of foods, such as caffeine, chocolates, farinaceous food, and alcohol, may cause it. It has been suggested that regurgitation of stomach acid and digestive enzymes, and chronic inflammation of the laryngopharynx can result in the symptoms of Globus.
Globus sensation by itself is not harmful and can happen without an underlying cause or associated illness. In fact, the exact cause of globus sensation is unknown. That said, there are other health conditions associated with the feeling of a lump in the throat.
Anxiety can cause mental, emotional, and physical symptoms. During periods of high stress or anxiety, you may experience the sensation in your throat of something being stuck there, known as globus sensation. Often, treating your anxiety can help you to manage the feeling in your throat.
When we are stressed, we also produce more chemicals and acids in the stomach which can cause reflux, making Globus symptoms worse. Tiredness: Globus symptoms are often worse when we are tired for example, at the end of a day - especially if the day has involved a good deal of voice use.
Diagnosis of Globus Sensation
Clinicians want to make sure that patients have no physical mass, stricture, or growth causing the sensation. Diagnostic tests of choice include flexible laryngoscopy, barium esophagram, and or esophageal endoscopy/transnasal esophagoscopy.
In conclusion, thyroid nodules with specific size and location can cause globus symptoms, and this finding can be indicated in patient counseling. Also, conservative treatments or thyroidectomy may be helpful in relieving patients' globus symptoms.
If the culprit turns out to be allergies, then medications such as nasal steroid sprays, antihistamines and salt water rinses can help. Other remedies, such as acupuncture, would likely get about the same results as a placebo, Pitman said.
Dysphagia can be classified into four categories, based on the location of the swallowing impairment: oropharyngeal, esophageal, esophagogastric, and paraesophageal (Figure 82.1).