A sore throat, also called a throat infection or pharyngitis, is a painful inflammation of the back part of the throat (pharynx). Pharyngitis can involve some or all of these parts of the throat:
- The back third of the tongue
- The soft palate (roof of the mouth)
- The tonsils (fleshy tissue that are part of the throat’s immune defenses).
The most common cause of sore throat is infection with bacteria or a virus.
Because an infection of the pharynx almost always involves the tonsils, tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils) was once a common name for infectious pharyngitis.
Types of Sore Throat:
There are two types of pharyngitis – chronic and acute.
- Acute pharyngitis is common and is usually caused by a viral infection. It’s often caused by the same viral infection that causes the common cold. The symptoms of acute pharyngitis usually last for a week or less.
- Chronic pharyngitis is a persistent sore throat. The symptoms of chronic pharyngitis last for longer than those of acute pharyngitis.
Cause of Sore Throat:
- The two most common bacteria to cause a sore throat are Streptococcus (which causes strep throat) and Arcanobacterium haemolyticum. Arcanobacterium causes sore throats mainly in young adults and is sometimes associated with a fine red rash.Bacterial infection responsible for strep throat may give way to soreness in throat.
- Apart from the ‘streptococcal’ bacteria; various others such as ‘Fusobacterium Necrophorum’ may also give way to sore throat.
- Viral pharyngitis may also cause strep throat.
- Viral infection of the throat may also cause sore throat.
- Trauma, tumor and diphtheria may also cause sore throat.
- Infection caused by fungus may also lead to sore throat.
Other Possible Causes:
- Measles may causes the sore throat under some circumstances.
- Breathing through the mouth can cause the throat to dry and become painful.
- In some cases a sore throat could be a sign of throat cancer (usually in smokers) or AIDS
- Allergies. Allergies do not cause sudden sore, painful throats. They can, however, cause chronic mild throat irritation.
- Sore throat could occur due to infectious mononucleosis.
- Fish, chicken bone, or other foreign substance increases the risk of throat problems.
- Surgery such as tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy may lead to the condition of sore throat.
- Sinus drainage may cause a sore throat.
Symptoms for Sore Throat:
- If there’s pain in the throat, it may be due to occurence of sore throat.
- In the sore throat symptom, pain may spread to the ears.
- The lymph nodes under your jaw and in your neck get swallow in sore throat cases.
- If the sore throat is due to the Coxsackie virus, small blisters may develop on the tonsils and in the soft palate.
- If the sore throat is due to a streptococcal infection, the tonsils often swell and become coated and the throat is sore.
- An injury to the back of your mouth may increase the chances of get affected by sore throat.
- Headache may occur in this condition.
- Vomiting may lead to sore throat problem.
- White patches in your throat or on your tonsils.
- There will be problem in breathing during sore throat.
- You will have a problem in swallowing the foods.
- Difficulty opening the mouth
- Joint pain may occur due to throat problem.
- Rash
- There will be high fever during sore throat.
- Blood in saliva or phlegm
- Lump in neck
- Hoarseness lasting over two weeks.
Diagnosis:
After reviewing your symptoms, the doctor will ask if you might recently have been exposed to someone with strep throat or any other infection involving the throat, nose or ears.
After recording your temperature, your doctor will examine you, paying particular attention to your mouth, throat, nose, ears and the lymph nodes in your neck. If your doctor is quite sure that you have strep throat, he or she may prescribe antibiotics without further testing. If there is some uncertainty, the doctor may want to do a strep test.
A rapid strep test is done in your doctor’s office, takes only a few minutes to do and detects 80% to 90% of all cases of strep throat. If this quick test is negative, but your doctor still believes you might have strep, your doctor will take a sample of your throat fluids for more intensive testing in a laboratory. Results will be available in 24 to 48 hours.
Exams And Tests:
A rapid test can be done in most health care provider offices, but misses a few of the cases.
If the rapid strep test is negative and your health care provider still thinks you or your child may have strep, a throat swab can be tested (cultured) to see if strep grows from it. However, it will take one to two days for results to come back.
Treatments:
A sore throat caused by viral infection — the most common cause — usually lasts five to seven days and doesn’t require medical treatment.
Treating bacterial infections:
If your sore throat is caused by a bacterial infection, your doctor will prescribe a course of antibiotics. Penicillin taken by mouth for 10 days is the most common antibiotic treatment prescribed for infections such as strep throat. If you’re allergic to penicillin, your doctor will prescribe an alternative antibiotic.
You must take the full course of antibiotics as prescribed even if the symptoms go away completely. Failure to take all of the medication as directed may result in the infection worsening or spreading to other parts of the body. Not completing the full course of antibiotics to treat strep throat can, in particular, increase a child’s risk of rheumatic fever and serious kidney inflammation.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about what to do if you forget to take a dose.
- Getting plenty of rest (either in or out of bed)
- Taking ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin), acetaminophen (Tylenol) or aspirin (in adults only) to relieve throat pain
- Drinking plenty of water to prevent dehydration
- Gargling with warm salty water to ease throat pain
- Drinking warm liquids (tea or broth) or cool liquids or eating gelatin desserts or flavored ices to soothe the throat
- Using a cool mist vaporizer to relieve throat dryness
- Using nonprescription throat lozenges or anesthetic throat sprays
These measures will help to ease your discomfort with any type of throat infection. If you have strep throat, you also will take antibiotics to prevent complications. Your doctor will prescribe a 10-day course of penicillin or amoxicillin to eliminate the strep bacteria. If you are allergic to penicillin, including amoxicillin, you may be given erythromycin (sold under several brand names) or one of the other macrolides, such as azithromycin (Zithromax). It’s important to take all the medication, even after you start to feel better.