India, Dec. 31 -- A persistent cough that just won't go away - or constant throat irritation that feels like an oncoming sore throat - can be frustrating and worrying. While many people assume it's linked to a flu, cold, or respiratory infection, the real cause may lie elsewhere. In some cases, these lingering throat symptoms are not respiratory at all, but gastrointestinal, triggered by acid reflux affecting the throat and voice box.

Dr Joseph Salhab, a gastroenterologist and health content creator from Florida, specialising in digestion, liver, pancreas and nutrition, is breaking down why chronic coughing after meals, throat irritation, and the sensation of something being stuck in the throat may actually be signs of reflux rather than...