Hi

Thanks for the query.

The back of the throat also called as pharyngeal wall, contains numerous lymphoid follicles and enlargement of these follicles give a dried-up appearance.

Whenever there is any inflammation or infection in the pharyngeal region there is enlargement of these follicles as a reaction to the former conditions. These enlarged follicles pops out of the mucosa giving an appearance of cobblestone. These enlarged lymphoid follicles are irritated when the base of the tongue touches them during swallowing, hence leading to cough.

These enlarged lymphoid follicles could be due to acute and chronic throat infections such as sinusitis, pharyngitis, etc. and inflammation such as acid reflux from the stomach into the throat.

Please do not worry, this is one of the common problems faced by every individual and this is not going to kill you. You need to drink plenty of warm water, avoid fizzy drinks, chilled food and smoking if any. If it does not subside even after following these preventive measures, you need to consult a good ENT specialist for a thorough evaluation and management.

Hope I have answered your query; I will be available for the follow-up queries.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

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Hi

Welcome back

Q: When I can’t breathe should I try to use my inhaler?
A: If you are using an inhaler already, do continue using it.

Q: Certain smells also bring this on
A: You could be suffering from hyper-reactive airway disease also, that is the reason you are susceptible to certain smells and smoke, the latter can cause spasm of the terminal bronchioles of the lungs leading to breathing difficulty.

Q: If I quit smoking will it go away?
A: Abstinence from smoking can definitely help you from getting rid of this problem.

With the history you have provided in the second part of the query, you could be suffering from the hyper-reactive airway disease and dryness of the throat could be worsening your symptoms. And, this is just a speculation, but it requires a complete examination of your throat as well as chest to arrive at a diagnosis.

I would suggest you to consult a good ENT specialist as well as a chest physician for a thorough check-up and management.

Wish you good health

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

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Hi

Thanks for writing back

Q: So with the hyperractive disease if I quit smoking it will get better?
A: Yes, those people suffering from hyper-reactive airway disease will definitely get better if they quit smoking, because the damage caused by smoking to the smaller airways in the lungs will be reduced.

Q: I could feel that my thoart was irrated and it might happen then I got hot and it tried
A: The throat is getting dry and irritated because of smoking. Smoking will drain out all the moisture from the throat and lungs, hence you need to drink plenty of warm water or water in the room temperature to keep your throat moist.

Q: I am keeping it at bay I quickly got a glass of milk and sprayed my thoart so far it hasnt what do you do about the breathing disease?
A: Regarding spray, I do not know which type of spray you are using at present. I would suggest you to get examined by a good doctor and then use suitable spray for the same. Usually in hyper-reactive air way disease we do recommend steroid sprays to reduce the breathing difficulty.

Wish you good health.

Regards
Dr. Naveen Kumar N.
ENT and Head & Neck Surgeon

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