A sore throat most commonly occurs as a symptom of a cold, but it may also be triggered by allergies, polluted air, smoking, certain beverages, mouth breathing, or problems with the paranasal sinuses. Exposure to cold air and sudden daily temperature changes may further irritate the throat and contribute to the onset of symptoms. Although most often harmless, a sore throat can sometimes be caused by serious illnesses. At first, it looks like tickling, scratching, and difficulty swallowing, but in some cases, hoarseness, cough, pain that may radiate to the ears may also occur, and it may be accompanied by general weakness and fatigue.
The throat is exposed to “attack” from various microorganisms, primarily viruses (causing colds, infectious mononucleosis, etc.) and bacteria. Infections are most common in late autumn and during winter, and are transmitted through contaminated hands, direct contact, for example, by coughing, sneezing and kissing. It often occurs in children and young people, but can also occur at any other age. Therefore, it should not be surprising that many children “suffer” from the condition of a sore throat. During the heating season, the air in living rooms is dry, so if “humidifiers” are not used on radiators and other heating devices, morning dryness of the mouth and throat is an unpleasant condition, but does not cause infection.
How to prevent sore throat?
- Protect your throat – If your throat hurts and itches, take a break. Rest your voice whenever possible, take longer pauses when speaking, maintain an even tone. Avoid speaking for long periods in the cold and outdoors.
- Be careful with beverages – Do not drink excessively hot, cold, or carbonated beverages. Avoid smoky and poorly ventilated rooms that can contribute to a scratchy and sore throat.
- Protect yourself – Use lozenges and sprays to protect your throat. One way to take care of your throat is to regularly gargle with herbal teas.
- Breathe through your nose – This is the only healthy way to breathe, as breathing through your mouth significantly damages the mucous membrane of your throat. For proper breathing through your nose, it is most important that your nose is always clean and the mucous membrane is healthy.
Sore throat symptoms
The most common symptoms are a sore throat and difficulty swallowing. The pain may radiate to the ears, there may be a fever, and the lymph nodes under the jaw and in the neck may swell. If a sore throat is caused by a virus, the symptoms are usually milder and are often associated with the common cold. A sore throat is caused by the Coxsackie virus, and small aphthous lesions may appear on the tonsils and soft palate.
If the sore throat is caused by bacteria from the group of streptococci, the tonsils swell, develop white exudates, intense sore throat and bad breath dominate, and the patient’s general condition is poor, accompanied by a high fever. Group A Streptococcus (Streptococcus pyogenes) is the bacterium that may lead to acute rheumatic fever if left untreated, which is a very serious disease that causes joint pain and damage to the heart valves. Therefore, treatment of sore throat caused by streptococci is very important to prevent the occurrence of rheumatic fever.
When should a throat swab be taken?
The swab is a simple and affordable diagnostic method that can be done in many laboratories. After 24 hours and after the “first reading”, it is already possible to know if any of the pathogenic bacteria are “growing” and whether they need to be “defeated” with antibiotics.
When should you see a doctor?
If the sore throat does not improve despite taking analgesics, you should consult a doctor, even if it is not accompanied by a fever. Therefore, if the pain increases after 24 hours from the onset of symptoms (despite the patient taking painkillers), medical evaluation is recommended. The examination should not be postponed if the sore throat is accompanied by swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck.
Should antibiotics be prescribed immediately?
Not every sore throat is bacterial angina, as is commonly believed, especially when there is no high fever. There are many viruses that inflame the throat and cause pain, scratchiness, redness, and difficulty swallowing.
In some cases, antibiotics will not help at all, so doctors advise rinsing with warm salt water, drinking plenty of fluids, keeping the air in the room you are staying in humid, frequent ventilation, and rest.
The use of analgesics is recommended, such as paracetamol or ibuprofen, which effectively reduce sore throat pain. It is a mistake to think that these drugs will mask the onset of fever, which can be a sign of streptococcal angina. When it comes to the onset of purulent angina, the temperature will appear despite painkillers.
Taking antibiotics is justified if done in consultation with a doctor – in order to determine the optimal dosage and control the duration of use of the medication.
There are many preparations (sprays, solutions, lozenges) that contain substances to relieve pain and inflammation. Although they are not antibiotics, they are beneficial in reducing the symptoms of a sore throat. These products form a protective layer over the inflamed throat mucosa, relieve discomfort, and also have antiseptic properties, thereby reducing the risk of secondary throat infection.