What Could Cause Swollen Neck, Difficulty In Swallowing, And Pain In The Shoulders And Upper Back?

Posted on Tue, 27 Feb 2018

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

Tue, 27 Feb 2018 Answered on

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 Last reviewed on

Question : My brother, age 79, is having symptoms that his doctor cannot identify. His neck swells up on both sides in the front and he cannot swallow, at the same time his shoulders and upper back are quite painful. He also has a metallic taste in his mouth. Eventually, the symptoms disappear but always return. He has had these happenings for the past month. Can you help/

Answered by Dr. Ivo Ditah (58 minutes later)

Brief Answer:

What drug is he taking? Any recent changes? How often are the symptoms?

Detailed Answer:

Hi!

This seems to represent an allergy to me. Best approach would be to review his medications and all recent additions to see what the possible cause is.

I suggest using steroids during attacks to control symptoms but the ultimate solution lies in identifying the exact trigger and eliminating, be it from the environment, food or medications.

I await a detailed description of his drugs and recent changes in products for in depth review and guidance.

In the meantime, steroids during crisis would help relieve the symptoms .

I wish your brother well.

Regards,

Dr. Ivo Ditah
Internal Medicine Specialist

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