Anatomy-Lexicon

Uvula

definition

The uvula is also called in medical terminology uvula designated. It can be seen with the naked eye if the mouth is wide open in the back of the palate. It consists of one muscle, the uvulae muscle, and is soft to the touch.
The uvula can play an important role in speaking. The uvula is especially important for the formation of consonants. The uvula is also important during the act of swallowing.

Function of the uvula

The uvula has a decisive influence on the sound production of a person. Mainly the sound formation of consonants is affected. The pronunciation of an “Ach” or an “R” can be disturbed or even not possible at all if the uvula is not present. In the French language it leads to disturbances of the simple use of the language, since in French the "Ach" and "rolling R" are strongly represented, while this would hardly be noticed in the English language. Another type of sound produced by the uvula is snoring.

The uvula also has a kind of protective function. If you touch the uvula, this triggers a gag reflex that usually leads to vomiting. This is e.g. B. very helpful if you choke.

Another function of the uvula is to drain nasopharyngeal secretions into the tongue area. The uvula is the only connection between these two parts, which means that if there is no uvula, the outflow of mucus from the nasopharynx is restricted and, as a result, secretion can build up.

During the act of swallowing, this closure prevents food particles from entering the nasal and pharyngeal cavities. However, the uvula plays a rather disordered role here.

Uvula disorders

swelling

The uvula swelling is usually caused by viral infection. The result is usually difficulty swallowing, a tightness in the throat, hoarseness, sore throat and an urge to cough. In extreme cases, however, the swelling of the uvula can lead to nausea or headaches.

A swollen uvula can indicate a wide variety of diseases. These include:

chickenpox
cold
Glandular Pfeiffer fever
Tonsillitis
measles
viral inflammation
Diphtheria
allergic reaction

If the symptoms increase after several days, a doctor should be consulted. The doctor can try to treat the symptoms by administering medication.

You can also find out more at: Swelling on the roof of the mouth

inflammation

Inflammation of the uvula usually leads to swelling. Triggers can be various inflammations within the oropharynx and throat area that affect the uvula.

Even flu-like infections can primarily lead to inflammation of the uvula. Inflammation of the tonsils and the mucous membrane of the throat, a fungal infection or Pfeiffer's glandular fever can also have the same consequences.

Symptoms of inflammation of the uvula typically include difficulty swallowing, an urge to cough, and a sore throat. When infected with a typical flu, there are usually other symptoms in addition to the inflammation of the throat. These include a runny nose, headache, fever and hoarseness.

Lozenges can also be taken for a sore throat. Hot neck wraps, warm milk with honey or warm herbal teas (chamomile, sage) are recommended as possible home remedies.

Also read: Inflammation on the roof of the mouth

White tip on the uvula

White deposits can appear in the mouth and throat area for various reasons. Fungi, herpes, glandular fever, leukoplakia or diptheria are possible.Depending on the cause of the white coating, the infection can be contagious or non-contagious.

The most common cause, however, is the Candida fungus. In addition to sore throats, side effects are often fever or taste disorders. One also speaks of the so-called oral thrush.

Read on below: Oral thrush

tumor

The mouth and throat area is lined with a lot of mucous membrane, on which benign or malignant tumors can often develop unnoticed. Such a tumor can also form on the uvula.

The causes are smoking (nicotine abuse) and alcoholism, more rarely also viral infections or reflux diseases, such as Heartburn. The mucous membrane comes into constant contact with harmful substances.

The first symptoms are usually enlarged lymph nodes in the neck area. It can also lead to hoarseness, bad breath, dry cough and sharp pain. A diagnosis is usually made by biopsy of the mucous membrane or by endoscopy of the oropharynx. The type of treatment can vary widely. In principle, a combination of chemotherapy, radiation and surgical removal is suitable.

Split suppository

A split uvula occurs as part of a cleft lip and palate. The cause of a cleft lip and palate can already be found in the embryonic development. A mistake in the fusion of the palate occurs between the 7th and 12th week of pregnancy.

It happens very rarely that only the uvula is split while the lip and palate are properly developed. A split uvula is usually not noticed due to symptoms or impairments.

Too long uvula

The uvula can vary in length from person to person. An elongated uvula is usually nothing unusual, but it can have some consequences. An omnipresent accompanying phenomenon is "snoring". The long uvula can cause fluttering and vibrating when inhaling and exhaling deeply, which in turn usually results in annoying snoring noises. Treatment of snoring can be surgical treatment in addition to sleep therapy.

The usual treatment for a uvula that is too long is to shorten or remove it during surgery. The operation can be done conventionally under general anesthesia or alternatively with a laser technique. While a hospital stay of several days can be expected for an operation, the shortening can even be carried out on an outpatient basis using laser technology. An improvement in snoring noises can be expected in 70-80%.

also read: Snoring

anatomy

A person's palate is divided into two sections. On the one hand there is the so-called hard palate (palatum durum), which is located in the front part of the mouth. On the other hand, there is the soft palate (palatum molle).

This is mainly located in the back of the palate, is flexible and can be felt softly. The soft palate has mucous membrane and a connective tissue plate into which various muscles radiate. The uvulae muscle represents one of these muscles - it is the extension of the soft palate and forms the uvula in the rear area.

The tensor veli palatini muscle, which stretches the soft palate and uvula, comes from the area of the skull. In addition, the levator veli palatini muscle comes from above, which raises the soft palate and the uvula. The uvula is innervated by the 10th cranial nerve, the vagus nerve.