Burning in throat

Burning throat often occurs unexpectedly and these occurrences may be seldom or more frequent. It is important to make a distinction between a sore throat and a burning throat. Sore throat is often the only symptom of a cold or flu, but may also be the result of a bacterial infection, tonsillitis, or chemotherapy.

This is not the case with the burning throat. Here, the “culprit” is probably the esophagus. In plain words, the esophagus is the tube that transports food from your mouth to your stomach. If an inflammation of the esophagus occurs, its direct consequence is the burning sensation we refer to as the ‘burning throat’.

Well, the burning sensation will also occur if you eat spicy food, but it will not last for a long period. Its only role will be to warn you not to eat that kind of food in large quantities. In this case, the burning sensation will not be the symptom of an infection.

Esophagitis, Heartburn, GERD

Esophagitis is the condition which is usually manifested with the burning sensation in the esophagus. It occurs when your “tube” becomes irritated, swollen or inflamed.

However, if you overeat or eat too quickly, the stomach acids are likely to cause the heartburn. Heartburn is a message of your body, which is asking from you to stop eating so much, or to change your eating habits. If you ever ate an ice cream too quickly, you must have felt the symptoms of the heartburn or even a strong headache. This problem can easily be solved with an antacid, either in liquid or tablet form.

There is a certain amount of risk in doing this. You will be relieved of pain, but you may well mask the symptoms of another, more serious disorder. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease, or simply GERD, is the result of stomach acid backing up into esophagus. It usually strikes smokers, heavy eaters and pregnant women. Poor nutritional habits can lead to this disease. It is most common among adults, but can occur among children and even infants.

The treatment often requires more than prescribed medicines. It may require a change in your diet as well, or in some cases a surgery. The esophagus is very sensitive and, if damaged, it may slow down the effect of the treatment and even lead to a series of other infections.

That is why it is important to know the symptoms. The drugs may relieve the pain, but may do more harm to you by hiding the real disease. If there is regularity in your burning throat occurrence, be sure to visit a doctor in order to avoid a more serious situation.