Sociodemographic and Clinical Characteristics of Patients Presenting with Globus Pharyngeus: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study

Aims: This study aims to determine the socio-demographic and clinical characteristics of the patients presenting with globus pharyngeus in an outpatient clinic of a tertiary care center in Nepal

Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study.

Place and Duration of Study: The study was carried out in the psychiatry outpatient department of Chitwan Medical College, Bharatpur, Nepal between Aug 2021 and Dec 2021.

Methodology: Globus pharyngeus was diagnosed after ruling out obvious pathology related to the throat and gastrointestinal system by specialists from the respective departments. The Glasgow Edinburgh Throat Scale (GETS) with its Nepali translation and study-specific structured proforma for sociodemographic and clinical profiles has been used as the study tool. Patients were assessed by the consultant psychiatrist to find out psychiatric comorbidities.

Results: Among the one hundred patients with a diagnosis of Globus pharyngeus, most patients were female (n=69), from an urban background(n=63), living in nuclear families (n=57), and were married (n=85). The mean age of patients with globus diagnosis was 37 years. The mean duration of globus symptoms was 32 months. Ninety-seven patients were previously treated for their problems from other centers. Discomfort/irritation in the throat (n=92), Feeling something stuck in the throat (n=91), and pain in the throat (n=81), were common symptoms. Psychiatric comorbidities [lifetime] were seen in forty-two patients.

Conclusion: Female gender, age of thirties, married status, belonging to the urban background, living in a nuclear family, and long duration of treatment history are commonly observed characteristics of these patients. Comorbid anxiety and depression are frequently observed psychiatric comorbidities.