The most common cause of throat-to-chest congestion and pain is reflux laryngitis caused by chronic gastritis or reflux esophagitis, which leads to reflux of stomach acid into the esophagus and throat. The most common treatment for this condition is the acid-suppressing drug omeprazole or lansoprazole. Of course, there are a small number of patients who suffer from this condition because of long-term smoking, drinking or eating spicy, irritating foods that repeatedly irritate the esophagus and throat cavity. More serious patients are those with symptoms associated with benign and malignant tumors in the esophagus.