Managing a patient with globus pharyngeus

A woman aged 47 years reported the feeling of a lump in her throat for the past year. The sensation was present intermittently and usually improved when she ate. She noted it was worse with dry swallows when she felt like a tablet was stuck in her throat. The sensation had become more persistent in recent weeks leading her to worry that she had cancer. She had no cough, sore throat or hoarseness. There were no precipitating factors and no symptoms of weight loss, dysphagia, odynophagia or change in her voice. She had smoked previously and rarely had heartburn. She had no other anxieties and was not under any unusual stress. She was initially assessed by an ear, nose and throat surgeon, who found no abnormalities on examination of her neck, throat and oral cavity. Nasolaryngoscopy was normal. An upper gastrointestinal endoscopy was organised and reported a hiatus hernia, but a 3-month trial of a proton pump inhibitor did not have any impact on her symptoms. The benign nature of her symptoms was discussed at her gastroenterology follow-up appointment. She was discharged back to primary care with a final diagnosis of 'globus'. A trial of speech therapy, cognitive behavioural therapy or amitriptyline would be recommended if her symptoms became more troublesome in future.

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