Monday, September 28, 2009

Can Acid Reflux Really Cause a Sore Throat?

By Bob Cox

As if it's not bad enough having heartburn, people with acid reflux are also at risk for chronic sore throat. Although it may not be clear why at first, I think you'll find it makes perfect sense.

To begin with a definition, acid reflux means that acid from the stomach is backing up into the esophagus. The actual acid is HCl and as you might imagine is quite irritating to tissues that were meant to handle it such as the lining of the esophagus.

The most common symptom associated with acid reflux is a burning sensation in the chest. this is what most people mean when they say they have heartburn.

However if there's a lot of reflux, for example if somebody 80 really large meal and the stomach is very full, the acid can back up even farther. In that case people can have what amounts to an acid burn all along their esophagus and even into the back of the throat.

This is what acid reflux sore throat is all about. It's irritation in the back of the throat as result of acid from the stomach backing all the way up the esophagus. The acid can even leak into the windpipe causing lung and breathing problems.

Another indication a person might have acid reflux as a cause of their sore throat is if they also knows a metallic taste. That taste is characteristic of acid.

One surprising thing about this problem is that some people have a chronic sore throat but no heartburn or other G.I. problem to suggest reflux as to cause. Obviously that makes it more difficult to diagnose. Keep that in mind if you have a persistent sore throat that just doesn't get better.

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