Causes of spasm in the throat

A spasm of the throat, or as it can also be called laryngism, occurs due to muscle contraction or their groups. More often such seizures are accompanied by sharp pain. The cause of spasm is often a violation of the flow of air through the upper respiratory tract, resulting in a difficulty in breathing, accompanied by an acute sense of lack of air. In rare cases, a spasm in the throat can still be observed closing the glottis.

Content

1 Main symptoms
2 Causes of spasm of the throat
3 Spasm of the throat in children
4 First aid for a spasm of the throat

Main symptoms

A spasm in the throat most often appears suddenly, and can develop in both adults and in children. This condition has the following symptoms:

difficult or temporary respiratory arrest;
the skin becomes paler, in some cases a bluish tint may even appear;
a cold sweat comes on;
pulse palpable and very weak;
the breath is very noisy, a little whistling, difficult.

The attack can last from a few seconds to minutes. Feature of this seizure is cyclical. That is, after the first attack relief may come, but after a while the attack may repeat. Therefore, it is important for some time to observe the patient, who had a fit of spasm in the throat. After the attack, prolonged inhalation occurs, the laryngeal muscles relax and the person can breathe normally again.

After some time, breathing is fully restored, the pulse stabilizes, after an attack, sleep may occur. In severe cases, spasm in the throat may be accompanied by loss of consciousnessand in some situations even generalized seizures may occur. As a rule, such convulsions are accompanied by an epileptic seizure. The patient begins to speak from the mouth foam. Time provided first aid with such an attack can save a person's life. It is very important that the patient start breathing as quickly as possible himself, otherwise death by suffocation may occur.

Causes of spasm of the throat

In order to know how to act in a situation of a spasm in the throat, the reasons should be carefully studied.

There are several main causes that contribute to a spasm of the throat. These include:

irritation of the laryngeal nerve, for example, as a result of a tumor, goiter or aneurysm;
lubrication of the throat with certain medications can also cause a contraction of this muscle group;
dust or other irritating substances trapped in inhaled air;
various diseases of the throat, such as pharyngitis, laryngitis, which can also lead to an attack;
a spasm in the throat can be caused by a disorder of the digestive system, in which case the spasm is also accompanied by heartburn. In this case need to see a doctorfor treatment to help improve the functioning of the esophagus.

Very often when eating, there is a situation when there is a feeling of a spasm of the larynx. This may actually be caused by the fact that a piece of food was large and difficult to swallow. But, if an attack occurs just like that while talking or swallowing saliva, pain appears, and the voice becomes hoarse, most likely the reason lies in an infection or a sore throat. It should be noted that a spasm in the throat can be caused by diseases such as sore throat or laryngitis. After an attack, you should immediately consult a doctor so that he prescribes the necessary course of treatment.

In such cases, at home, before going to the doctor, you can rinse with chamomile or sage infusion, which has antiseptic properties and will help remove the infection in the throat.

Spasm of the throat in children

Such attacks are very often observed in small children, whose age category does not exceed two years, especially in those who are breastfed. Toddlers suffer from such attacks due to the over-excitability of the neuromuscular laryngeal apparatus. Spasm in the larynx in a baby, of course, is an unpleasant thing, especially for his parents, and for those who have had an attack for the first time. Therefore, you need to be prepared for such troubles, if the child was observed:

metabolic disease;
for a long time there was a lack of vitamin D and calcium;
various infectious diseases, such as bronchopneumonia, chorea, spasmophilia, rickets, etc., were transferred

The appearance of such a spasm in children can also be caused as a result of prolonged laughter, coughing, crying, fright, or if the child has choked on something. The symptoms in children are very similar to those already described. A child’s head during an attack may be thrown back, breathing stops, cold sweat comes out, and the mouth is wide open in an attempt to take a breath of air. Such attacks in babies can occur several times a day.

First aid for a spasm of the throat

If you ever meet a person who has suffered from such an attack, the main thing do not pass by and do not get confused, and to approach and assist a person, perhaps his future fate depends on it.

When a spasm of the throat in the first place it is very important to calm the person, if he continues to be nervous and worried, this state will only make himself worse. After the patient has calmed down, it is necessary to ensure access to fresh air. If the attack occurred in the room, you need to bring it to the street. If you can’t take him outside, ask the people around you to part. Give the patient a drink of water, smell ammonia. Try to explain to the victim, after he calms down, that he must try to relieve a spasm in his throat, this will help him hold his breath for a while.

For complete relaxation, you can give the patient a cup of warm tea or take a warm bath, if, of course, you are within the reach of this bath. If all of these methods did not help to achieve the desired effect, you cantry to induce artificial vomiting, pat not hard on the back. After the symptoms of an attack have passed, you should not immediately leave the victim himself, as it may happen that the attack will recur after a while and he will need your help again.

In order to further avoid the recurrence of such attacks, you should follow the basic simple rules:

Regularly take walks in the fresh air, while you can do relaxing exercise. This will not only help in the prevention of attacks, but also strengthen the body as a whole.
Sleep must be complete, do not stay for an interesting book or film, healthy sleep, they will not replace you.
Properly plan your every day. Try to alternate mental work with active physical exertion, while not forgetting about short breaks. Go to the park during a break, have lunch with friends. Short breaks will allow not only more productive work, but also not to overload the body.
Eat properly and fully. Include in your menu various greens, vegetables, fruits, dairy products.
Take evening walks before bedtime. Such walks effectively help strengthen the body, and also generally relax the whole body, relieve nervous tension.