ELONGATED UVULA.

New Zealand Graphic, Volume XVIII, Issue XIX, 8 May 1897, Page 587

ELONGATED UVULA.

Abnormal elongation of the uvula, or palate, as it is erroneously called, is oftenest associated with chronic inflammation of the throat, although it may follow any disease, like diphtheria, in which the muscles which normally support the uvula have become paralyzed. Relaxation of the muscles of the throat, due to the fatigue attending unusual vocal efforts, may also be responsible for the dropping of the uvula. The results are essentially the same in either case, but the different forms of the disturbance call for different methods of treatment. A very common cause of elongation of the uvula is the abuse of the voice during acute or chronic catarrh of the nose and throat, when the entire surface of the upper respiratory passages is weakened through inflammation. The condition is also to be found among the long train of evils caused by the pernicious habit of mouth-breath-ing. The tobacco habit, alcoholism, breathing in crowded rooms and in dusty atmospheres are also often responsible for this condition. In well-marked cases of elongation of the uvula, there is a constant feeling as if there were a foreign body in the throat, something that cannot be coughed up, although efforts to do so are continual. The cough may be very severe, especially on lying down at night and on rising in the morning, and may even end in vomiting. If the uvula is congested, it is liable to bleed in the effort of coughing, and the sputum under such circumstances will be streaked with blood. Constitutional disturbances of a varying degree may result from the continual coughing and vomiting. As an instance of the degree to which the constitution may suffer, there is quoted the case of a man who previous to his admission into an English hospital had been for a long time treated for consumption, a disease of which he presented every sign. He was very feeble and emaciated, and an examination of his lungs showed every evidence of the disease. He was treated at the hospital, however, for elongated uvula with the result that all appearances of disease rapidly disappeared, and he gained three pounds in weight during the first two weeks.

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