Recognizing odynophagia, the cause of pain when swallowing

Have you ever experienced pain when you swallow food or drink? This condition is known as odynophagia. In less severe cases, the pain usually goes away on its own. However, in some conditions, this can be caused by a health problem.

What is odynophagia?

Odynophagia is a medical term that describes pain when swallowing. This swallowing disorder can occur in the mouth, throat, or esophagus when swallowing food, drink, and saliva. Pain when swallowing is often associated with various health conditions so that the treatment given depends on the cause.

Often times odynophagia is confused with dysphagia, when in fact they are different conditions. Dysphagia is a condition when a person has difficulty swallowing. As with odynophagia, dysphagia is also associated with various causes and its treatment depends on the underlying health problem. It looks almost the same, in some cases both can occur together for the same cause, it can also occur separately.

What are the symptoms of odynophagia?

The features of odynophagia can occur in the short term as well as in the long term. These characteristics or symptoms include:

A burning sensation, mild to severe pain that stabs in the mouth, throat, or esophagus when swallowing.
The pain gets worse when you swallow dry food, although in some cases liquids and solid foods can also cause the same pain.
Reduced food intake, leading to weight loss.
Decreased fluid intake, causing the body to lack fluids (dehydration).

However, when odynophagia is caused by an infection, the signs that appear are fever, aches and pains, fatigue, and a general feeling of being unwell.

What causes pain when swallowing?

Odynophagia is sometimes caused by a mild condition, such as the flu. If this happens, the pain when swallowing will usually go away on its own over time. When the flu has healed, usually the pain when swallowing will also disappear.

In addition, odynophagia can also be caused by other medical conditions, namely:

Inflammatory infection - infections that cause inflammation of the mouth, throat, or esophagus caused by tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils), pharyngitis, laryngitis and esophagitis.
Gastric acid reflux (GERD) - occurs when stomach acid rises into the esophagus causing prolonged pain.
Sores or ulcers - especially in the mouth, throat or esophagus. This can be caused by physical trauma, surgical injuries, untreated GERD disease, and long-term use of inflammatory drugs such as ibuprofen.
Candida infection - Yeast infection in the mouth will spread to your throat and esophagus.
Esophageal cancer - tumors that develop in the esophagus (esophagus) become cancerous can cause pain when swallowing. The causes vary, from smoking, alcohol abuse, to stomach ailments that don't heal. A person who has this disease will feel pain in the chest or back when swallowing.
Weak immune system - especially in people with HIV / AIDS and those currently undergoing radiotherapy or other cancer treatments.
Consumption of tobacco, alcohol, and illegal drugs can irritate the mouth, throat, and esophagus, eventually causing painful swallowing.
Drinking drinks that are too hot or cold over a long period of time can affect the mucus lining in the esophagus.

So, what is the proper treatment for this condition?

The treatment plan for odynophagia depends on the cause. Consult your doctor for the best information according to your condition.

Take drugs

Some pain when swallowing can be treated with medication, depending on the condition. For example, anti-inflammatory drugs for people with inflammatory pain and pain relievers.

Operation

In cases caused by esophageal cancer, the doctor may recommend surgical removal of these cancer cells whenever possible.

Pay attention to the food and drink you consume

It's best to avoid alcohol and tobacco consumption first, as these substances can irritate the throat and throat. Don't forget to eat soft foods and chew food longer so you don't get too sick when swallowing.