By Medicover Hospitals
What is Sore Throat?
Pain or irritation in the throat that can occur with or without swallowing often accompanies infections, such as a cold or the flu. A sore throat can have causes that are not due to an underlying disease. Examples include excessive use of the voice, a burn from hot food, a very dry mouth, or sleeping with your mouth open.
A sore throat is a feeling of pain, dryness, or itching in the throat.
Sore pain is one of the most common symptoms. It represents more than 13 million visits to medical offices each year
Mostly by infections or by environmental factors like dry air causes sore throats. Although a sore throat can be uncomfortable, it will usually go away on its own.
Mostly by infections or by environmental factors like dry air causes sore throats.
Sore throats are divided into types, depending on the part of the throat they affect:
- The area behind the mouth is affected by pharyngitis.
- Tonsillitis is swelling and redness of the tonsils, the soft tissue at the back of the mouth.
- Laryngitis is the swelling and redness in the voice box or larynx.
Causes
The viruses that cause Cold and the flu also cause most sore throats. Less frequently, bacterial infections can cause sore throats.
Viral infections
Viral conditions that cause a sore throat include:
- Cold
- Flu
- Mononucleosis
- Measles
- Chickenpox
- COVID-19
- Croup - a common childhood illness characterized by a severe, barking cough
Bacterial infections
Several bacterial infections can cause a sore throat. Strep throat is caused by the most common bacterial infections is group A streptococcus.
Other Causes
Other causes of a sore throat include:
- The allergies: If your allergic to pet dander, mold, dust, and pollen can also cause a sore throat. The problem may be complicated by a postnasal drip, which can irritate and inflame the throat.
- Dryness: Dry indoor air can make your throat rough and itchy. Breathing through your mouth - often due to chronic nasal congestion - can also cause a dry throat and sore throat.
- Irritants: Outdoor air pollution such as chemicals in which are released in the air and indoor pollution such as tobacco smoke can cause a chronic sore throat. Throat pain is also caused by Chewing tobacco, drinking alcohol, and eating spicy foods.
- Muscle fatigue: AYou can strain the muscles in your throat by screaming, talking loudly, or talking for long periods without rest.
- Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD): GERD is a disorder of the digestive system in which stomach acids travel up through the food tract (esophagus). Other signs or symptoms may include heartburn, hoarseness, regurgitation of stomach contents, and a feeling of a lump in the throat.
- HIV infection: A sore throat and other flu-like symptoms sometimes appear soon after a person becomes infected with HIV. Additionally, a person with HIV may have a chronic or recurring sore throat due to a fungal infection called oral thrush or a viral infection called cytomegalovirus (CMV). This can be serious in people with weakened immune systems.
- Tumors: Cancerous tumors in the throat, tongue, or larynx can cause a sore throat. Other signs or symptoms may include hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, loud breathing, a lump in the neck, and blood in the saliva or phlegm.
Rarely, an infected area of tissue in the throat or swelling of the small cartilage "lid" that covers the epiglottis can cause a sore throat. Both can block the airways, creating a medical emergency.
Diagnosis
To diagnose the cause of a sore throat, the doctor will ask for a detailed history of the disease and perform a physical exam. Since most cases of sore throat are associated with infections, your doctor may order tests to differentiate between a bacterial or viral infection. If your doctor suspects that you have strep throat, he or she will usually do a quick strep test. The results only take a few minutes and can usually be obtained during an office visit. A throat culture can be sent to the lab for a definitive assessment for strep throat if the initial rapid strep test is negative. Usually, culture results are available within 24-48 hours. Usually, no further testing is necessary, depending on the details of the medical history and the results of a physical exam. Your doctor may need to order additional tests to help determine the cause of the sore throat, such as:
- Blood tests.
- CT scan or x-ray of the throat and neck to assess other various causes of a sore throat.
- In some cases, a specialist may be recommended based on symptoms and presumptive diagnosis.
Treatment
- A sore throat caused by a viral infection usually lasts 5-7 days and does not require any medical treatment.
- To relieve pain and fever, many people turn to acetaminophen or other mild pain relievers.
- Consider giving your child over-the-counter pain relievers designed for infants or children, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, to relieve symptoms.
- Never give aspirin to children or adolescents, as it has been linked to Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease that causes swelling of the liver and brain.
Treat bacterial infections
- A sore throat caused by a viral infection usually lasts 5-7 days and does not require any medical treatment.
- To relieve pain and fever, many people turn to acetaminophen or other mild pain relievers.
- Consider giving your child over-the-counter pain relievers designed for infants or children, such as acetaminophen or ibuprofen, to relieve symptoms.
- Never give aspirin to children or adolescents, as it has been linked to Reye's syndrome, a rare but potentially fatal disease that causes swelling of the liver and brain.
Other treatments
If a sore throat is a symptom of a condition other than a viral or bacterial infection, other treatments may be considered according to the diagnosis.
When to see a Doctor?
A sore throat caused by a viral infection usually improves on its own within two to seven days. Still, some causes of sore throat need to be treated.
Call your physician if you have any of these potentially more serious symptoms:
- severe sore throat
- difficulty swallowing
- difficulty breathing or pain when you breathe
- difficulty opening your mouth
- joint pain
- a fever over 101 degrees Fahrenheit
- sore or stiff neck
- earache
- blood in your saliva or phlegm
- a sore throat that lasts for over a week
Home Remedies
To get relief from sore throat
- Gargle with a mixture of lukewarm water and 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of salt.
- Drink hot liquids that soothe the throat, such as hot tea with honey, soup broth, or lukewarm water with lemon. Herbal teas are particularly soothing for sore throats.
- Cool your throat with a cold treat like a popsicle or ice cream.
- Suck a chunk of hard candy or a lozenge.
- Turn on the cool fog humidity to add moisture to the air.
- Rest your voice until your throat feels better.
