Foreign bodies fall into the throat most often with food (fish and meat bones, glass fragments, pieces of wood, pieces of meat, grain of cereals). Foreign objects can also be accidentally dropped into the mouth objects (nails, buttons, pins, sewing needles, hooks, small parts of toys) as well as dentures.

Observed and living foreign bodies, when drinking water from the creek in the mouth can penetrate leeches. Live foreign bodies are more common in countries with hot climates.

Contribute to getting foreign bodies talking and laughing while eating.

Sharp foreign bodies are stuck in the oropharynx, penetrating into the lacunae of the palatine tonsils, the palatine arch, the amygdala located in the root of the tongue. Large foreign bodies (buttons, coins, pieces of unhealed food, dentures, large meat bones) stop above the entrance to the esophagus or larynx, while they can close the laryngeal lumen and cause choking.

Symptoms: Depends on the size, shape, location and length of stay of the foreign body.

The main symptoms are sore throat, worse when swallowing, feeling a foreign object in the throat. There is a difficulty in swallowing food, increased salivation. Large foreign bodies, stuck in the throat, can disrupt speech, cause coughing and sudden difficulty in breathing.

At the location of a foreign body in the pharyngeal wall, an inflammatory process occurs, and painful sensations increase.

Complications:

Foreign body pharynx, traumatizing the mucous membrane, can cause a number of complications: abscesses of the pharynx (pharyngeal, lateral), paratonsillar abscess, phlegmon of the neck, bleeding.

Sometimes complications arise due to the fact that patients swallow solid pieces of bread. Instead of pushing the stone that is stuck, the hard crust further irritates and traumatizes the wound.

Help: do not remove the foreign body yourself. It is necessary to seek help from an ENT doctor or call an ambulance.