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What Causes Feeling Of Lump In The Throat And Sore Throat?
Question: HI,
My Doctor is not giving answers as to why my carotid artery is bulging. My MRI showed significant plaque in the bulb area and the ultrasound showed there is none. She stated there is no further testing and everything is fine. My left artery is bulging (it's a elongated size and getting bigger), feel likes a lump in my throat and have a sore throat on the left side of my throat all the time. Sometimes I get the jaw and ear pain and also feels heavy on the left side of my chest. I have no idea where to go from here. I am a healthy 48 year female. My cholesterol is excellent and blood pressure is good.
Thank you XXXXXXX -
My Doctor is not giving answers as to why my carotid artery is bulging. My MRI showed significant plaque in the bulb area and the ultrasound showed there is none. She stated there is no further testing and everything is fine. My left artery is bulging (it's a elongated size and getting bigger), feel likes a lump in my throat and have a sore throat on the left side of my throat all the time. Sometimes I get the jaw and ear pain and also feels heavy on the left side of my chest. I have no idea where to go from here. I am a healthy 48 year female. My cholesterol is excellent and blood pressure is good.
Thank you XXXXXXX -
Brief Answer:
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I carefully passed through your question and would explain that your symptoms (feeling like lump in the throat and sore throat on the left side) are not related to the carotid artery plaque.
They could be just anxiety. I would also recommend checking your thyroid gland with an ultrasound of the gland and thyroid hormone levels, because this gland is positioned in this region and could be related to a similar symptomatology.
You should know that MRI with MRA is a better examination for the cervical and brain vessels and for the detection of atherosclerotic plaque, compared to Doppler ultrasound.
Anyway, I would recommend taking aspirin and a statin, like simvastatin or (even though your cholesterol is excellent), in order to prevent possible progression of the atherosclerotic plaque and possible complications (like ulceration or artery to artery embolism leading to stroke).
If the plaque has caused a severe narrowing of the carotid artery, you should discuss with a vascular surgeon for possible endarterectomy (which is the intervention of atherosclerotic plaque removal).
Regarding the chest pain, I would recommend further investigations for possible coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis is a generalized process which can affect all the arteries in our body):
- a resting ECG and cardiac enzymes
- a chest X ray study
- a cardiac stress tests would be helpful in suspicions of coronary artery disease are raised.
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Hope to have been helpful!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
I would explain as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello!
Welcome and thank you for asking on HCM!
I carefully passed through your question and would explain that your symptoms (feeling like lump in the throat and sore throat on the left side) are not related to the carotid artery plaque.
They could be just anxiety. I would also recommend checking your thyroid gland with an ultrasound of the gland and thyroid hormone levels, because this gland is positioned in this region and could be related to a similar symptomatology.
You should know that MRI with MRA is a better examination for the cervical and brain vessels and for the detection of atherosclerotic plaque, compared to Doppler ultrasound.
Anyway, I would recommend taking aspirin and a statin, like simvastatin or (even though your cholesterol is excellent), in order to prevent possible progression of the atherosclerotic plaque and possible complications (like ulceration or artery to artery embolism leading to stroke).
If the plaque has caused a severe narrowing of the carotid artery, you should discuss with a vascular surgeon for possible endarterectomy (which is the intervention of atherosclerotic plaque removal).
Regarding the chest pain, I would recommend further investigations for possible coronary artery disease (atherosclerosis is a generalized process which can affect all the arteries in our body):
- a resting ECG and cardiac enzymes
- a chest X ray study
- a cardiac stress tests would be helpful in suspicions of coronary artery disease are raised.
You should discuss with your doctor on the above issues.
Hope to have been helpful!
Kind regards,
Dr. Iliri
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
Hello,
Thank you for the response. What causes the bulging artery? I can feel it along with the Doctor. There's an elongated bump.
Thank you for the response. What causes the bulging artery? I can feel it along with the Doctor. There's an elongated bump.
Brief Answer:
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello again!
Regarding your concern, I would explain that these changes in the carotid dimension and shape are probably related to athersclerosis. You should know that this is an active process involving different layers of the vessel wall, thus leading to changes in the shape besides the narrowing in the vessel lumen.
From the other hand, uncontrolled blood pressure can exacerbate the progression of this disorder.
Other causes to consider are possible genetic disorders (like polycistic kidney or some defects in the production of collagen), which usually occur in young persons.
I would recommend following the above recommendations on treatment and lifestyle modifications in order to prevent possible progression or complications of these arterial changes.
Hope to have been helpful!
Best wishes,
Dr. Iliri
I would recommend as follows:
Detailed Answer:
Hello again!
Regarding your concern, I would explain that these changes in the carotid dimension and shape are probably related to athersclerosis. You should know that this is an active process involving different layers of the vessel wall, thus leading to changes in the shape besides the narrowing in the vessel lumen.
From the other hand, uncontrolled blood pressure can exacerbate the progression of this disorder.
Other causes to consider are possible genetic disorders (like polycistic kidney or some defects in the production of collagen), which usually occur in young persons.
I would recommend following the above recommendations on treatment and lifestyle modifications in order to prevent possible progression or complications of these arterial changes.
Hope to have been helpful!
Best wishes,
Dr. Iliri
Note: For further queries related to coronary artery disease and prevention, click here.
Above answer was peer-reviewed by :
Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar
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