Sunday, November 8, 2009

What is Uvula?

There is an organ in our throat known as the uvula.It is a conic projection, which pops out from the posterior edge of the soft palate. It is made up of connective tissue and some muscle fibre.
Most physicians feel that the uvula is a vestigial anatomical structure (i.e. a structure which doesn’t have any significant function but has a remnant of an evolutionary modification). However there are a few who feel that the uvula plays a crucial role in speech and swallowing by participating in closing the nasopharynx during such activities.
Many surgeons have observed that the common complication of removing uvula is pharyngeal dryness. This thereby implies that uvula plays an active role in keeping the throat moist and well lubricated.
At times, especially following a surgery, the mucous membrane of the uvula may swell increasing the size of the uvula. As a result of increase in its size, the uvula may touch the throat or the tongue, creating a sensation of gagging, choking or tickling.

Swollen Uvula Remedy:
Some common measures to be taken to reduce the sensation of tickling in the throat:

• Dehydration is known to cause swelling of uvula. Ensure you consume at least 3
to 4 liters of water each day.
• Excessive smoking and alcohol consumption may result in swelling of the uvula.
• Gargling with salt water will help you fight any causative bacterial infection
which might be causing the inflammation.

These simple measures should help to reduce uvula swelling and settle down within a couple of days. However it is possible that dilatation of the throat, essential during surgery might also be one of the causes of swelling of the uvula. Either ways don’t worry; the tickling will pass away in sometime ideally a few weeks (though in some cases it might take up some months and even a year.