Many people are surprised to learn that acid reflux is a relatively common cause of a persistent sore throat. However as you’ll see, it’s probably more surprising that it doesn’t happen more often

You probably realize that acid reflux refers to acid from the stomach refluxing into the esophagus. The esophagus wasn’t designed to handle the acid, so it causes irritation. in a sense, “heartburn” really is a burn – an acid burn.

This is typically limited to the far end of the esophagus immediately next to the stomach. the most common symptom is a burning sensation commonly referred to as heartburn.

However if there’s a lot of reflux, for example if somebody 80 really large meal and the stomach is very full, the acid can back up even farther. In that case people can have what amounts to an acid burn all along their esophagus and even into the back of the throat.

The acid backing up all the way to your throat is why acid reflux can be a cause of a chronic, persistent sore throat. Many people who have it find that it’s worse in the morning when they wake up because when they’ve been lying down on night it’s easy for the acid to reach the throat. And the sore throat isn’t the only problem that could happen. Some people have asthma and other lung problems because the acid drips into their windpipe as well.

Sometimes people with acid reflux sore throat will notice a metallic taste in their mouth. This is a clue that the sore throat may be secondary to acid from the stomach.

I think you can see now that is not so surprising that heartburn and a chronic sore throat can have the same underlying cause. Someone that has a persistent sore throat because of acid reflux has a particularly severe case and it’s very important that they get treatment. This is especially important to prevent possible lung complications.