It is basically a disease of adults. Of 217 patients with glossopharyngeal neuralgia studied by Rushton et al. Four of the patients in the series reported by Rushton et al. had bilateral pain. Twenty-five of the patients reported by Rushton el al. were found to have combined trigeminal and glossopharyngeal neuralgia. The pain may occur anywhere in the regions supplied with somatosensory elements of the glossopharyngeal and vagus nerves.
Patients usually localize the pain to the ear or tonsil.
In the series of 217 patients studied by Rushton et al. In some patients, touching of the external auditory canal, the side of the neck, the skin anterior to the ear, or the area over the mastoid may trigger severe pain. During short attacks of pain, the patient may experience only slowing of the pulse. Detailed questioning revealed the crucial fact that sudden severe burning pain in the left side of the throat and the posterior part of the tongue preceded each seizure by a few seconds. During electrocardiographic recording, the pain was reproduced by stimulation of the left tonsil and was accompanied by bradycardia and cardiac arrest with convulsions.