The objective of this study is to precisely state the significance of pharyngeal paresthesiae (pharyngeal globus) in various circumstances and to establish the extent to which this symptom occurs in severe diseases. Material and method: We performed a retrospective study, having as subjects the patients hospitalized or examined in the ENT Clinic The Recovery Hospital of Iasi, in the period 2006-2008, for pharyngeal paresthesiae. Results and discussions: Following our study we identified 218 patients with pharyngeal paresthesiae, representing 4% of the cases in the clinic. We divided the patients into three groups, according to the results we obtained: group A patients (53.67%) with pharyngeal paresthesiae secondary to a locoregional pathology; group B patients (22.02%) with pharyngeal paresthesiae secondary to a system disease and group C patients (24.31%) in whom we did not identify any pathologies. Although most of the times they are a manifestation of some benign diseases, there are situations when pharyngeal paresthesiae are the expression of a malignant tumor in an incipient stage, thus requiring the patients assessment and monitoring in time. When no objective modifications are found at the endoscopic and X-ray examination (barium swallow) of the patient, and in the absence of esophageal pH monitoring, which could confirm a potential gastro-esophageal reflux, a hygiene-dietetic and medical treatment with proton pump inhibitors is recommended. Conclusions. Pharyngeal paresthesiae are a frequently met symptom in clinical practice. In the performed study, we outlined the importance of a multidisciplinary approach of the deglutition disorders represented by the pharyngeal globus, induced by the great variety of the pathology in which this symptom is involved.
Keywords:- etiology
- pharyngeal paresthesiae