Most people who complain of chronic throat clearing have a disorder called laryngopharyngeal reflux LPR. Treatment for LPR may include medication and surgery in some severe cases. Lifestyle changes and home remedies may be effective in many cases, too. Here are some things you can try at home:. Another common cause of throat clearing is postnasal drip. Postnasal drip happens when your body starts producing extra mucus. You may feel it dripping down your throat from the back of your nose.
Other symptoms may include:. Treatment for post nasal drip varies depending on the cause. Other treatments for postnasal drip may include:. Though rare, sometimes the esophagus has an abnormal pouch that prevents food from traveling to the stomach.
The condition occasionally causes the contents of the pouch and mucus to get stuck in the throat. Chronic motor tic disorder involves brief, uncontrollable, spasmlike movements or phonic tics.
It typically begins before age 18 and lasts four to six years. Treatment varies depending on the severity of symptoms, but may include behavior therapy and medications. Tourette syndrome is a neurological disorder that causes both a physical tic and a vocal outburst.
Other symptoms of Tourette syndrome may include:. In some cases, a food allergy or sensitivity may cause a tickling in your throat that makes you clear it. Dairy is a frequent culprit, but foods such as eggs, rice, and soy may also cause the sensation. The treatment in such cases is avoiding the food that leads to symptoms. Some blood pressure medications can cause a tickle in your throat that contributes to chronic throat clearing. In some cases, there may be no underlying condition causing the throat clearing.
If your throat clearing is persistent or having a negative effect on your life, seek treatment. Allergy testing may be recommended as well. Long-term treatment for chronic throat clearing depends on determining the underlying condition causing it. Patient Portal Pay Your Bill. Search for:. If the patient does not have significant sinonasal symptoms this is probably not the cause. Chronic Sinusitis: This is usually, but not always, associated with sinonasal symptoms.
Sometimes sinus X-rays are needed to check for this. Gastroesophageal Reflux is commonly associated with the feeling of heartburn or of frank reflux although it often occurs while sleeping so the symptom goes unnoticed.
Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine all cause lower esophageal sphincter relaxation so a history of significant use of these items should be explored. It usually takes more than two cups of coffee a day to cause reflux symptoms.
Colas usually contain about half the caffeine a serving of coffee does. Usually there is significant dysphagia associated with these entities. A history of dysphagia, weight loss or smoking should lead to consideration of an esophogram, dysphagia evaluation or an EGD.
Laryngeal Lesions are not a common cause of these symptoms but certainly can be especially if hoarseness is present or if there is a history of smoking, intubation or anterior neck surgery. Vocal strain can also cause these symptoms.
A lung exam and chest X-ray can be an important part of evaluation of these patients. If it lasts less then two weeks in general, that's situational, says Song. If it's greater than three months and it's there all the time while you're awake, that's chronic throat-clearing. Two of the most common causes of frequent throat clearing are laryngopharyngeal reflux, or LPR, and seasonal allergies, explains Song.
Reflux from the stomach, which may or may not be acidic, comes up through the esophagus and into the back of the throat, where it can irritate the voice box. People with LPR may also have post-nasal drip, an excess of throat mucus, or the feeling like something is stuck in the throat, but nothing is there. With allergies, an environmental trigger whether it's pollen, ragweed, or mold is causing itchiness and inflammation in the nose and throat, which forms one continuous airspace.
It's tickling the throat creating a desire to clear it. People with allergies or reflux are also producing a dry, sticky mucus that's leading to a phlegm-filled sound when the throat is cleared. Sometimes asthma can make the throat irritable and hypersensitive. Chronic throat-clearing may also occur in a condition known as vocal hyperfunction, where friction along the length of the vocal cords from straining to speak or explosive coughing, forms small ulcers or masses.
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