Sore Throat: Symptoms, Treatment and Signs That You Cannot Wait

It hurts to swallow, the throat is red and sore — almost everyone has been through this. In most cases the cause is harmless and clears up within a week. But sometimes a sore throat is a signal of a serious infection. Let’s look at why the throat hurts, what to do in the first days and when you cannot wait.

Why the Throat Hurts: Main Causes and Accompanying Symptoms

Most often the throat hurts because of a viral infection. But there are many causes: bacteria, allergy, dry air, irritation from smoke, acid reflux, and voice strain after long conversations. The most common causes are listed below.

A red throat on its own is not yet a diagnosis: redness of the mucous membrane occurs with viral infection, with allergy and from dry air. It is more important to look at the accompanying signs — temperature, coating and the condition of the lymph nodes.

Pain that appears at night or gets worse in the morning deserves separate mention. Most often the cause is dry air, mouth breathing because of a blocked nose, mucus draining down the back of the throat, or reflux. If the pain goes away during the day and comes back again, it is worth checking the nose, the sinuses and the stomach.

How to Tell Whether a Sore Throat Is Due to ARVI, Pharyngitis or Tonsillitis

With ARVI the pain comes together with a runny nose, sneezing and cough, and the temperature is low. Pharyngitis shows itself as dryness and a scratchy feeling, the throat is red, and the tonsils are not inflamed. Tonsillitis causes sharp pain when swallowing, coating is visible on the tonsils, the temperature rises above 38 °C, the lymph nodes in the neck are enlarged, and there is more often no cough. Only a doctor can tell a bacterial infection from a viral one precisely, so a red throat with coating and a high temperature is better shown to a specialist.

What to Do for a Sore Throat in the First Days of the Illness

If your throat has started to hurt, you should not immediately take strong medicines. First, ensure rest and warm drinks, reduce the strain on your voice and remove irritants.

What Can Ease the Pain and Irritation

• Drink more warm fluids: tea, compote, water. Drinks that are too hot and spicy food irritate the mucous membrane, while cool water and warm drinks, on the contrary, ease the pain.
• Gargle with a warm salt solution several times a day.
• Humidify the air and ventilate the room.
• Use lozenges and sprays with a local pain-relieving effect.
• Do not smoke, and avoid talking in the cold.

Which Medicines Are Acceptable for Symptom Relief

For relieving pain and temperature, paracetamol or ibuprofen in ordinary doses are suitable if there are no contraindications. Local sprays and lozenges reduce pain but do not treat the cause. You should not take strong drugs without a doctor’s prescription.

Antibiotics for a Sore Throat: When They Are Needed and When They Do Not Help

Most often a sore throat is caused by viruses, and antibiotics do not help against them. They are needed for bacterial (more often streptococcal) infection — tonsillitis, peritonsillar abscess. An antibiotic can be prescribed only by a doctor after an examination and, if necessary, a rapid test or a swab. You must not stop the course early, otherwise complications are possible.

When You Cannot Wait with a Sore Throat: Dangerous Symptoms and Complications

See a doctor urgently or call an ambulance if:

• it is hard to breathe or to swallow saliva, or heavy drooling has appeared;
• the pain is stronger on one side and the mouth opens only with difficulty;
• the voice has become “nasal,” as if there is a hot potato in the mouth;
• the neck has swollen, the lymph nodes have enlarged;
• a rash has appeared;
• the temperature is above 39 °C and the sore throat does not go away for more than a week;
• the throat hurt, got better, and then pain in the joints or heart appeared — complications are possible after tonsillitis.

A sore throat lasting longer than a month, especially in a smoker, is a reason to have an ENT examination. If the pain goes away and then returns, do not wait for the next flare-up: the cause needs to be found. An ordinary cold does not last longer than a week to a week and a half, and a prolonged course is a signal that it is not only about a virus.

How a Sore Throat Is Diagnosed at the Helyos Medical Center

At the appointment the doctor will ask about the onset of the illness, examine the throat, tonsils, neck and nasopharynx, and measure your temperature. If a bacterial infection is suspected, a rapid strep test or a swab is done, and a blood test is ordered. Endoscopy may additionally be required. An ENT doctor consultation makes it possible to determine the cause and avoid unnecessary medicines.

Treatment of Throat Diseases at Helyos: Methods, Doctors and Branches

At Helyos, inflammation of the throat is treated in adults and children: therapy is selected, the tonsils are rinsed if necessary, and the course of the illness is monitored. Patients have access to tonsillitis treatment and consultations with a pediatric otolaryngologist. If the sore throat is related to inflammation of the sinuses, sinusitis treatment will help. You can find out the branch addresses and book an appointment on the medical center’s website.