Pain In The Lower Throat And Upper Chest While Breathing Or Swallowing

Posted on Thu, 7 Jun 2012

Medically reviewed by Ask A Doctor - 24x7 Medical Review Team

Thu, 7 Jun 2012 Answered on

Thu, 12 Jul 2012 Last reviewed on

Question : Hi. My son is 12 years old. He has been experiencing lower throat and upper chest pain for about 8 hours. The pain was also in his upper back but is not present now. The pain is sometimes sharp and is worse if he breathes in deeply or swallows.

Answered by Dr. Dr. Praveen Tayal (2 hours later)

Hello,
Thanks for posting your query.
A pain in the lower throat and upper chest which worsens on XXXXXXX breathing or swallowing is likely to be due to a viral chest infection like pleuritis which has also affected the lower pharynx.
Most of the times such minor infections do improve with a mild pain killer like acetaminophen and steam inhalation. Giving a healthy diet and vitamin C supplements also help.
In case the pain is persistent or associated with high grade fever, then systemic antibiotics might be needed after consulting his pediatrician.
I hope this answers your query.
In case you have additional questions or doubts, you can forward them to me, and I shall be glad to help you out.
Please accept my answer in case you do not have further queries.
Wishing you good health.
Regards.
Dr. Praveen Tayal.

Above answer was peer-reviewed by : Dr. Chakravarthy Mazumdar