Q I often choke when food comes back up and have a severe dry cough. Is this related to achalasia?
A Food or saliva that stays in the esophagus can flow back into the airway, causing choking and a chronic cough, and in severe cases aspiration pneumonia. Symptoms improve only when you also manage the reflux itself.
Detailed Answer
When food and saliva that cannot pass down to the stomach pool in the esophagus and reflux, they can go into the airway (aspiration), causing choking, frequent throat-clearing, and a dry cough. If this recurs during sleep, there is a risk of aspiration pneumonia, so caution is needed. Treating the cough alone rarely cures it; you must reduce the underlying esophageal stagnation and reflux for the accompanying symptoms to subside as well.
Korean Medicine Clinic Perspective
Supportive Korean medicine treatment can help soothe the upward discomfort and reduce aspiration by adjusting eating and sleeping posture. However, if choking and coughing are frequent and accompanied by fever or difficulty breathing, we recommend seeing a specialist first to rule out conditions such as pneumonia.
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