A sore throat is pain, scratchiness or irritation of the throat that often worsens with swallowing. The most common cause of a sore throat (pharyngitis) is a viral infection, such as a cold or the flu. A sore throat caused by a virus resolves on its own.
The cardinal symptom of gastro-esophageal reflux disease (GERD), heartburn, is inevitably perceived via neural pathways that are stimulated by the luminal contents of the esophagus. Thus, the structure and function of esophageal sensory innervation will play a key role in symptom manifestation of the disease. The vagus nerve is a major part of the parasympathetic nervous system that enables communication between the brain and gastrointestinal tract. The direct activation of nociceptors by luminal acid, or their indirect stimulation via the acidic microenvironment of the esophageal mucosa can induce release of neuropeptides, such as CGRP, ultimately resulting in neuro-genic inflammation and subsequent pain even with a macroscopically normal esophageal wall. (Ustaoglu & Woodland , 2021)
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