Sore throat

Sore throat is a common complaint for which people seek medical help. Every adult experiences a sore throat on average 2-3 times a year. Every year, each general practitioner sees about 300-600 people with a complaint of sore throat and upper respiratory tract infections.

Many people consider a sore throat to be a minor symptom that either goes away on its own or with the help of “all-powerful” advertised pharmacy lozenges. Lozenges, of course, are not a medicine, but they taste good and seem to remove the primary responsibility for the sore throat. However, quite often the pain does not want to give in to such self-medication, then various rinses from the arsenal of “grandmother's recipes” are used. Without belittling the merits of pharmacy drugs and folk methods of combating pain, you should still figure out what causes a sore throat, how varied its symptoms are, what you can do yourself, and in what cases you should see a doctor.

Sore throat is one of the most common complaints. Any cold is usually accompanied by a sore throat.

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Causes of sore throat

One of the most common causes of sore throat is a viral or bacterial infection. Pharyngitis of viral etiology is diagnosed in 85% of cases. It is most often caused by adenoviruses during periods of mass acute respiratory diseases. Viral pharyngitis differs from its "brother" - bacterial pharyngitis in that the pain in the throat is accompanied by rhinorrhea (mucous discharge from the nose), watery eyes, cough, and a slight increase in body temperature.

The second most common cause of sore throat is streptococcal angina (beta-hemolytic streptococcus group A) - in 10-15% of cases. But not all sore throats are the result of a cold. In this regard, it is useful to know the main causes that cause the sensation of sore throat.

Pharyngitis of bacterial etiology is much less common and is caused mainly by streptococci. Unlike viral pharyngitis, bacterial pharyngitis is manifested mainly by throat symptoms - swelling of the back of the throat, plaque on the tongue and tonsils, enlarged lymph nodes without a runny nose and often without a cough.

Bacterial inflammations of the throat - tonsillitis, sore throat. They are most often caused by streptococci and are manifested by breathing difficulties, pain when swallowing, high temperature, enlarged hyperemic tonsils.

Allergy. Sore throat is a consequence of an allergic disease, a peculiar reaction to an allergen, in winter, pain sensations of allergic etiology most often appear in the cold.

Mechanical inflammation of the throat, vocal cords - laryngitis. Most often, this disease is typical for people who daily engage in long-term communication (teachers, announcers, actors) or for vocalists. Hoarseness and pain in the throat are not fatal, but can seriously damage a career if you do not begin to treat the cords.

Serious pathologies and oncological processes also cause sore throat. Among them are chronic stomatitis, cytomegalovirus infection of the body, HIV. The most severe and unfavorable in terms of prognosis are oncological processes in the larynx, neoplasms.

Thus, a sore throat can be a symptom of many diseases, sometimes threatening health and life. It is easiest to independently differentiate the viral and bacterial nature of sore throat.

A bacterial infection affecting the larynx most often manifests itself as a white, characteristic coating on the tongue and tonsils. If the sore throat appeared suddenly, and was not the result of a week of malaise, the white coating is the main primary sign of a bacterial infection.

A viral infection usually manifests itself as pain in the throat immediately, and on the second or third day the pain gradually subsides.

Of course, it is more advisable to consult a doctor who will not only collect anamnesis, interview and examine the patient, but also prescribe an analysis - a smear to determine the true pathogen.

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What measures can you take on your own if you have a sore throat?

• Drinking plenty of fluids frequently will soothe the sore back of your throat;
• If possible, observe rest and bed rest;
• Rinsing with a warm saline solution, which can wash away mucus and soften inflammation (1/2 teaspoon of salt, preferably sea salt, diluted in a glass of warm boiled water);
• Voice rest – if possible, do not strain your vocal cords and speak less;
• Elimination of alcohol, smoking and cigarette smoke in principle;
• Warming dry compress externally on the throat;

A sore throat can be severe, acute, if it persists for more than three days, you should see a doctor. The doctor will diagnose the disease, prescribing additional examinations - a pharyngeal swab, a general blood test. Based on the information received, a treatment plan will be drawn up, which may include taking antiviral or antibacterial drugs (depending on the cause), physiotherapy procedures.

What complications can a sore throat cause?

Pain in the throat may disappear on its own, however, if timely measures are not taken, the cause of the pain - the underlying disease - becomes chronic and can provoke the following complications:

• Purulent inflammation of the tonsils up to abscesses;
• Lymphadenitis;
• Heart disease - rheumatic heart disease;
• Kidney disease - glomerulonephritis;
• A common systemic autoimmune disease is rheumatism.