"By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today. Pierre-Louis: It's so magnificent you can taste it. If you are someone's annoying brother, you've probably summoned a burp and unleashed it on your sibling's face at least once. But Paras Dhama can't relate to any of that. Paras Dhama: Because [Laughs] I can't burp. And for as long as I can remember, I could never burp."
"So my whole chest and stomach, it becomes heavyit feels like some air is stuck inside. And it becomes so uncomfortable that one time I was driving on a highway, I had to stop my car, get outside, try to vomit on the side of the road in order to get that air out. I just can't sit or walk or do anything."
Some people cannot burp due to a condition called retrograde cricopharyngeus dysfunction (RCPD). The condition prevents air from escaping upward, leaving patients with trapped gas and a heavy, uncomfortable sensation in the chest and stomach. Symptoms can become severe enough to interrupt daily activities and force extreme measures, such as attempting to vomit to release pressure. Medical understanding of the condition is recent. Otolaryngology expertise, including evaluation by specialists in upper esophageal and throat function, informs diagnosis and potential treatments for people affected by this inability to burp.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
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