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Respiratory Disorders (Expert Forum)
Mild throat irritation persisting for 7 months and counting
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Mild throat irritation persisting for 7 months and counting
by Collden, Feb 27, 2007 12:00AM
I'm 21 year old male biotech student. I don't smoke, drink and I normally live a active and healthy life.
Since the beginning of September 06 I've had a mild throat irritation. It started for about a week with what seemed like a regular mild cold, I had a cough, stuffed nose, muscle fatigue, eye-ache, etc. Then all that vanished, but the throat irritation has been lingering since. Except for a few days just after christmas, it has never gone beyond very mild symptoms, usually barely noticable and never severe enough to really call painful.
It's been a long time now so I don't remember exactly how it felt like in the beginning, but for the past month the irritation has been purely localized to one side of my throat. I've been to the doctor about this thrice since it began. Twice a regular check-up where I got checked for bacterial infection which came out negative, and now just recently a gastroscopy which came out perfectly clean as well.
I've been told that the by far most likely explanation for this is a viral infection. The thing is just that I can't find ANYTHING on the web about viral throat infections persisting in this way for seven months, with absolutely no symptoms what so ever besides a mild throat irritation. They've told me it's likely that I've been struck by multiple cold viruses, and that they have probably entered some kind of semi-latent state where they induce only mild symptoms and a very slow immune response.
If this is a viral infection, how can it persist in this way? Is there any other plausible cause? Thanks for your time.
/Gustav
Since the beginning of September 06 I've had a mild throat irritation. It started for about a week with what seemed like a regular mild cold, I had a cough, stuffed nose, muscle fatigue, eye-ache, etc. Then all that vanished, but the throat irritation has been lingering since. Except for a few days just after christmas, it has never gone beyond very mild symptoms, usually barely noticable and never severe enough to really call painful.
It's been a long time now so I don't remember exactly how it felt like in the beginning, but for the past month the irritation has been purely localized to one side of my throat. I've been to the doctor about this thrice since it began. Twice a regular check-up where I got checked for bacterial infection which came out negative, and now just recently a gastroscopy which came out perfectly clean as well.
I've been told that the by far most likely explanation for this is a viral infection. The thing is just that I can't find ANYTHING on the web about viral throat infections persisting in this way for seven months, with absolutely no symptoms what so ever besides a mild throat irritation. They've told me it's likely that I've been struck by multiple cold viruses, and that they have probably entered some kind of semi-latent state where they induce only mild symptoms and a very slow immune response.
If this is a viral infection, how can it persist in this way? Is there any other plausible cause? Thanks for your time.
/Gustav
Doctor's Answer
by National Jewish, Mar 01, 2007 12:00AM
, Mar 01, 2007 12:00AM
There are other more probable causes. One of these is a chronic sinus inflammation that causes post nasal drip and an irritated throat. A CT scan of the sinuses will make this diagnosis or rule it out. A second cause is that you have developed a nonallergic inflammatory process called vasomotor rhinitis, which has caused an chronic inflammatory reaction with the post nasal drainage. This could be secondary to the viral illness.
Member Comments (1)
by viji8679, Aug 07, 2008 01:41AM
A related discussion, Chronic throat irritation for past 4 months was started.
