Causes depending on time of occurrence
Many people know an unpleasant burning sensation in the throat especially in connection with eating. The intake of particularly hot food can irritate both the mucous membrane of the mouth and the mucous membrane in the oesophagus. Very minor burns and reddening can occur, causing a burning sensation in the throat, a burning sensation in the mouth and along the oesophagus.
With each further intake of food, the previously injured mucous membranes may be irritated again and the patient may feel a burning sensation in the throat for several days afterwards. Such minor injuries heal by themselves and do not require any treatment. The mucous membrane can react similarly to highly acidic food.
This includes frequent consumption of fruits, tomatoes and other products. The acid in the food attacks the mucous membrane and can lead to smaller lesions also in the mouth and oesophagus. Affected patients should then try out which foods they can tolerate well and, in order to avoid further discomfort, avoid foods that contain a lot of acid for a while.
Then the mucous membrane can recover. After eating, the stomach contents can also be responsible for a burning sensation in the throat. The so-called heartburn is a belching of stomach contents.
The stomach produces stomach acid for digestion, which mixes with the stomach contents after the meal. When the stomach contents are burst open, stomach acid also enters the oesophagus. With frequent belching, the mucous membrane at the junction of the oesophagus and stomach is irritated and an unpleasant burning sensation in the throat and chest after eating develops.
You can learn more about this topic here: HeartburnMany people complain of a burning sensation in the throat after outdoor sports. The burning sensation occurs mainly in cold air. Because of the increased breathing and the cold air, the windpipe and lungs burn with every breath.
Due to the cold air, the blood vessels and the mucous membrane of the bronchi contract more and the affected person feels a burning pain in the throat. In such a case, it helps if you breathe in less deeply, so the burning quickly subsides and disappears. A scarf or cloth in front of the airways when doing sports during the cold season can also help.
When vomiting, the entire stomach contents including the gastric juice are emptied via the oesophagus. The gastric juice contains gastric acid, which is a highly corrosive liquid used to digest food components. To protect against the aggressive liquid, the stomach is provided with a special layer of mucus, which is, however, missing in the oesophagus.
If gastric acid enters the oesophagus and throat during vomiting, the mucous membrane in these areas is damaged, which results in a burning sensation in the throat. Very strong vomiting or regularly recurring vomiting (for example in bulimia) can cause lasting damage to the mucous membranes and lead to complications. In such a case, a doctor should be consulted so that appropriate treatment can be initiated.
When breathing, air flows through the windpipe into the lungs. A burning sensation in the throat, which occurs exclusively when breathing, can be caused by an injury to the windpipe. As the air flows past while breathing in or out, the affected area becomes irritated and the throat burns.
The injury can be mechanical, for example due to swallowed objects, or inflammatory, such as tonsillitis. The burning sensation in the throat can be a symptom of heartburn (reflux). This is when stomach acid passes from the stomach into the esophagus, causing pain behind the breastbone and a burning sensation in the throat.
Certain drinks can make the symptoms worse. In particular, drinking coffee and alcoholic drinks can worsen reflux and irritate the lining of the oesophagus. But fizzy drinks also aggravate the burning sensation in the throat, which is why carbon dioxide in drinks should be avoided as far as possible in the case of heartburn.
During pregnancy the body of a pregnant woman undergoes very strong changes. With the constant growth of the unborn child, the storage conditions of the mother’s organs in the abdomen change particularly dramatically. As the baby takes up more and more space in the mother’s abdomen during pregnancy, the organs such as the liver and stomach are shifted further towards the head, i.e. upwards.
As the abdominal girth increases, the pregnant woman feels these changes more and more clearly. This change is often accompanied by some typical problems during pregnancy. Because the stomach is shifted upwards, the expectant mother very often gets heartburn after eating.
The growing child presses on the stomach and in addition the way from mouth to stomach is shortened and dammed up. This favours a backflow of stomach contents into the oesophagus and in advanced pregnancy often leads to acid burping and a burning sensation in the throat. These complaints are quite normal during pregnancy and often have no further disease value. The symptoms can be treated very well with drugs that reduce the production of gastric acid and protect the stomach. When the child is born, the symptoms usually subside quickly.
