constant throat clearing

[si909]

I have had a problem with constant throat clearing for 2 years now that changes in severity. I have tried everything known to man to identify the problem and have seen several throat specialists and no-one seems to be able to solve the problem. I have noticed by father and his sister both have  a similar problem however no where near as severe as mine. I can clear my throat 30 times a minute to the point where i have started getting sore kidneys. Any advise very welcome but I am pretty sure its not the obvious post nasal drip. Some one suggested it could be an accute form of asthma??

[DoubleDose]

Do you have active HCV?  I know that throat clearing was one of my major complaints over the decades when I was HCV positive.  Since SVR (five years ago) most of my throat clearing has vanished.  I have seen accounts of several others on the forum who have been bothered by this same issue.  Mine felt like there was a thick, clingy mucous attached to the vocal cords.  NOTHING would dislodge it, and clearing the throat was pretty futile.  It often interfered with my ability to speak normally.  I would guess that either the HCV caused cytokine or immune cell responses in the soft tissues in the throat (just as it does in the salivary system and eyes, in provoking a 'pseudo-Sjogren's Syndrome), or.....possibly the HCV infects the soft tissues directly and causes a nasty 'allergic' type response.  Oddly, I have noticed that several long term partners from the past, and my current spouse, all developed the same symptoms over time....that persist currently!  None of them had any throat clearing at all before our relationships!  Now, figure that one out!!! I started thinking that the HCV sometimes found in saliva was transmitting to their soft tissues and setting up a localized, tissue based infection in the throat and salivary system.  None of them have ever tested positive for HCV on BLOOD testing.  Of course my conjecture has no backing or research to support it from the HCV medical community, although several research groups are investigating HCV cellular immunity in localized tissues and organs within family members of HCV positive persons.  There could be some relationship to what they are exploring.

DoubleDose

[DoubleDose]

An additional comment is that I also had a constant, year-round rhinitis, or pseudo-sinusitis over the same years, when HCV positive.  That has resolved as well with my SVR.  I have ALSO noticed this same year-round, rhinitis type symptom within my family, and it has developed slowly over the years in them as well.  Mine is now gone, theirs persists.  Nothing works for it....antibiotics, allergy medications, etc.  They have seen ENT's, had image scans done, etc.  Nothing can be determined regarding cause or origin.  Unfortunately, no medication seems to work at all!  Very curious stuff.

DD

[DoubleDose]

Once again, I would like to ask all of our forum members what their experience with chronic throat clearing, and/or chronic rhinitis might be, and how it might relate to the period of time they have been infected with HCV.  Also, if anyone has noticed changes in any of these issues as a result of SVR, please comment.  Of course, if there has been a change in symptoms, or initiation of symptoms among family members or intimate partners, that would be of interest as well.  Input is appreciated!

DoubleDose

[DoubleDose]

Sorry for the confusion.  No, none of my family members have HCV, and all have been tested.  But, there are researchers now looking at family members, in a large scale study, trying to determine if they have developed 'cellular immune responses' to HCV, in various tissues, even though they are HCV negative for 'humoral anti-HCV' reactivity.  In other words, they are looking for signs of localized HCV immune responses, at a 'cellular' level, rather than in the blood, or the 'humoral' HCV testing.

Again, none of my family members have HCV, but my question all along has been whether they may have some sort of localized antibody reaction to HCV, from casual contact, or could possibly have localized, cellular level, tissue based infection.  Its a very off the wall question that has had little research, and is only recently being investigated by a few HCV researchers and hepatologists.

DoubleDose

[DoubleDose]

In response to your second question, the very odd thing is that two past relationship partners, from well over twenty years ago, both have developed what appears to be the exact same set of chronic symptoms!  They have lived in different locations, and settled into relationships over the past decades.  The most apparant thing about them in my few chance encounters with them in recent years was their development of the constant throat clearing symptom!  Sort of unsettling from my perspective.  A VERY odd set of coincidences, to say the least.

DD

[meNtoby]

I have similar throat problems, have HCV, but have not started to treat yet.  It literally feels like if I swallow just my own saliva, that it is toxic, and it makes me keep coughing, swallowing, coughing, you get the drill.

Worse at night when I lie down to sleep, but when Hep doctor said GERD, my symptoms are nothing similar.  I told him it's so bad, I frequently go to sleep with a cough drop.

Freaky stuff, isn't it?  I had the feeling of "toxic spit" for many, many months before finding out about HCV.  But now with my VL being 17 million, I'm wondering if it ISN'T toxic.  How gross, another weird symptom from nowhere!

[comeagain]

Its very interesting when subjects like this is coming up.

Yes I´ve been clearing my throat for decades to.
got even so used to it and it felt so natural that i didn´t noticed it my self, but other people made me aware of my annoying habit, specially my ex,shed use to say she could here me long way before I´ved reached the front door.

I have always thought it was a nervous thing, interesting this could be HCV related.
When i started to read this post I also started to clear my throat or am I still doing it? This post just made me aware that i  might still do, or was it just mesmerism, since Ive been living alone for some years,  no one is making me aware if I do that anymore.

I´m not completaly alone my two teenage daughters lives with me a couple of months every year but you know how they are they dont see or here anybody older then them selfs.

And Double Dose I havent noticed any in my nearby environment that is having the same problem but how should I know, I haven´t even noticed it on my self by my self, but i do belive in what you saying so I´m gonna start looking out for possible throat cleares in my proximity.

ca

ps i think i´ve got rid of alot of tx related problems after first tx( although not SVR) maybe this throat problem also if its really is tx related  is much better.
I`m on my sec tx now halfway there having some brainfog right now and its 12.30 in night here in Sweden so i beg you all good night.
I come back to you later on, with this in my opinion very interesting matter.

[sfwandwow]

my thrioat gets bad right after shot within 24 hrs and then almost like dry mouth and thrush sat in for a few days.. then it clears up but tongue gets so tender to eat and throat is clogged up and makes me hoarse.. I get agitated from it at times..

[TonydNJ]

I started having this problem just when i started treatment. Constant throat clearing and coughing for the past 8 weeks since starting interferon/ribavarin, i did not have any of these issues before treatment. it's better at times and sometimes can get bad. I was told i have a slight case of asthma and i have also been dealing with wierd breathing issues as well, i am pretty sure the meds have boosted up my immune system and brought all these things up.

[comeagain]

This is kind of interesting my ex zazza also a HCV person happens to be here she lives in a town 160miles away I told her about this post and she told me that our oldest daughter 23years old have been complaning of throat clearing issues for some time.

We have checked her for HCV, same with our other two girls since their mother was infected when she was expecting them, they are all negativ thank God.

ca

ps our oldest daughter is living a low risk life has never been taking any drugs or been in for transfusion.