Having a sore throat is a painful and uncomfortable experience. My last experience was terrific! I couldn’t wait for my tonsils to be normal again. It was difficult to swallow, talk, yawn.
It is an experience I do not wish to repeat for myself or anyone else. And if you have experienced it, I’m sure we’re on the same page.
In this article, we’ll dive into all you need to know about sore throats, especially the causes, prevention, and treatment so that sore throats could be a bygone situation.
In case you haven’t experienced a sore throat - which I’ll be surprised by, or you’re not sure what it is, here is what it is:
A sore throat is a painful, scratchy, or dry feeling in the throat, with or without swallowing. Pain in the throat is a common medical complaint which accounts for about 2% of the visits to adult primary healthcare per year.
Sore throats usually ease away on their own or after using some home remedies. However, if your sore throat persists, ensure to visit a professional for a check-up because sore throat shares symptoms with other medical conditions and is sometimes a symptom of other medical conditions, like upper respiratory tract infection.
Have you noticed that sore throats affect different parts of your throat? But, somehow, you figure out it is still a sore throat. It is because the throat has three parts and sore throats affect a part of the throat giving it a different feeling.
There are three types of sore throat based on the part of the throat affected.
Pharyngitis is the swelling of the pharynx located at the back of the throat. It is more often called sore throat.
Tonsillitis is swelling and redness of the tonsils, two soft tissues in the back of the mouth. It is most common in children as they interact with each other alot, making them susceptible to bacteria. It also occurs in adults.
Laryngitis is the inflammation of the voice box or larynx as a result of irritation, overuse or infection. It could be acute, lasting less than three weeks or chronic, lasting more than three weeks. Most instructors complain of laryngitis because they strain their voice alot.
Sore throat symptoms vary depending on the cause. Sore throat is also similar to other conditions, including the infamous COVID-19. So to know if you have a sore throat, look for the following signs and symptoms.
If you have a sore throat, your throat may feel:
In most cases, it hurts more when you swallow or talk.
Observe your tonsils at the far end of your mouth using a mirror. If they look reddish with white patches or areas of pus, you most likely have tonsillitis. However, the white patches are seen more in strep throat than in sore throat.
A sore throat may come with other symptoms like:
If you experience a persistent sore throat with these symptoms, ensure you see a doctor.
You can have a sore throat as a result of allergies, irritants or a couple of exposures to microscopic organisms causing infections. These are 8 common causes of sore throat:
Viral infections are one of the most common causes of sore throats. The viruses that cause sore throat include:
Asides from viral infections, bacterial infections also contribute to the causes of sore throat. The most common bacterial infection that causes sore throat is strep throat (also called streptococcal pharyngitis).
Strep throat is caused by Streptococcus bacteria and affects the throat and tonsils. It is responsible for about nearly 20-30% of sore throat cases in children.
STIs like gonorrhea and chlamydia can also cause a sore throat.
Allergens like pet dander, pollen, mold, dust and grass can trigger reactions in the immune system. This reaction from the body releases chemicals causing symptoms like nasal congestion, watery eyes, itchy eyes, sneezing and itchy throat or irritation.
The throat irritation gets worse if there is a postnasal drip — when excess mucus drips down the throat.
Chemicals and other substances in the air can irritate the throat. Many of these irritants include:
Sore throat due to dryness occurs mostly in dry seasons, like the harmattan. Indoor dry air can also suck out moisture from the mouth and throat leaving them dry, itchy and irritated.
Sometimes, breathing through your mouth can cause a dry and sore throat. That is why sore throat occurs alongside chronic nasal congestion.
Injuries cause pain in the areas affected, in the same way, injuries in the throat can cause pain and irritation in the throat. Injuries and irritation in the throat can happen as a result of:
Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) is a condition where gastric acid goes up into the esophagus, the tube that connects the mouth to the stomach.
When there is acid reflux, you feel a burning sensation in your throat causing symptoms like heartburn.
Laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR), also known as silent reflux, can cause the acid from the stomach to flow back up into the esophagus or throat, causing a sore throat.
Tumors in the throat, voice box, or tongue are the least common causes of sore throat. It is usually a sign of cancer and persists for a long time. Tumors in the throat usually come with hoarseness, pain and difficulty in swallowing, noisy breathing, lump in the neck and blood in phlegm.
Strep throat is a bacterial infection caused by Streptococcus pyogenes. A sudden sore throat is usually a symptom of strep throat. Other symptoms include:
If you have strep throat, you may also develop a rash known as scarlet fever or scarlatina.
Conditions such as coughing, runny nose, pink eye, or hoarseness, which are likely to occur alongside a sore throat, are not associated with strep throat.
Also, with time, a sore throat usually eases off on its own, but strep throat will require antibiotic treatment.
Try out these home remedies to get rid of a sore throat:
In addition, get plenty of rest so that your immune system gets the chance to fight those foreign beings.
Most times, sore throat relieves on its own after a few days. See your doctor immediately if:
After looking at the causes of sore throat, it is evident that the best way to prevent yourself from an ugly sore throat experience is by avoiding the causes - germs, irritants and allergens. You can also follow these hygiene tips:
The preventive measures seem over the top, but with these, you can avoid many other infections and health conditions asides from sore throat.