Throat Pain Expert in Perumbakkam
Your Trusted Partner in Throat Pain
A sore throat is pain, scratchiness or irritation of the throat that often worsens when you swallow. We are here to provide you with top-notch care and guidance to tackle your problems.
Understanding Throat Pain
Causes of Throat Pain
Viral infections
Viral illnesses that cause a sore throat include:- Common cold
- Flu (influenza)
- Mono (mononucleosis)
- Measles
- Chickenpox
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
- Croup — a common childhood illness characterized by a harsh, barking cough.
Bacterial infections
Many bacterial infections can cause a sore throat. The most common is Streptococcus pyogenes (group A streptococcus) which causes strep throat.
Symptoms of Alcoholism:
- Pain or a scratchy sensation in the throat
- Pain that worsens with swallowing or talking
- Difficulty swallowing
- Sore, swollen glands in your neck or jaw
- Swollen, red tonsils
- White patches or pus on your tonsils
- A hoarse or muffled voice
When to see a doctor
- Difficulty breathing
- Difficulty swallowing
- Unusual drooling, which might indicate an inability to swallow
- A sore throat that is severe or lasts longer than a week
- Difficulty swallowing
- Difficulty breathing
- Difficulty opening your mouth
- Joint pain
- Earache
- Rash
- Fever higher than 101 F (38.3 C)
- Blood in your saliva or phlegm
- Frequently recurring sore throats
- A lump in your neck
- Hoarseness lasting more than two weeks
- Swelling in your neck or face
Risk factors
Although anyone can get a sore throat, some factors make you more susceptible, including:
- Age: Children and teens are most likely to develop sore throats. Children ages 3 to 15 are also more likely to have strep throat, the most common bacterial infection associated with a sore throat.
- Exposure to tobacco smoke: Smoking and secondhand smoke can irritate the throat. The use of tobacco products also increases the risk of cancers of the mouth, throat and voice box.
- Allergies: Seasonal allergies or ongoing allergic reactions to dust, molds or pet dander make developing a sore throat more likely.
- Exposure to chemical irritants: Particles in the air from burning fossil fuels and common household chemicals can cause throat irritation.
- Chronic or frequent sinus infections: Drainage from your nose can irritate your throat or spread infection.
- Close quarters: Viral and bacterial infections spread easily anywhere people gather, whether in child care centers, classrooms, offices or airplanes.
- Weakened immunity: You’re more susceptible to infections in general if your resistance is low. Common causes of lowered immunity include HIV, diabetes, treatment with steroids or chemotherapy drugs, stress, fatigue, and poor diet.
Prevention
The best way to prevent sore throats is to avoid the germs that cause them and practice good hygiene. Follow these tips and teach your child to do the same:
- Wash your hands: Thoroughly and frequently for at least 20 seconds, especially after using the toilet, before and after eating, and after sneezing or coughing.
- Avoid touching your face: Avoid touching your eyes, nose or mouth.
- Avoid sharing: Food, drinking glasses or utensils.
- Cough or sneeze: Into a tissue and throw it away, and then wash your hands. When necessary, sneeze into your elbow.
- Use alcohol-based hand sanitizers: As an alternative to washing hands when soap and water aren’t available.
- Avoid touching: Public phones or drinking fountains with your mouth.
- Regularly clean and disinfect: Phones, doorknobs, light switches, remotes and computer keyboards. When you travel, clean phones, light switches and remotes in your hotel room.
- Avoid close contact: With people who are sick or have symptoms.
Diagnosis
Your or your child’s doctor may review the symptoms and medical history. He or she may conduct a physical exam that includes:
- Using a lighted instrument to look at the throat, and likely the ears and nasal passages
- Gently feeling the neck to check for swollen glands (lymph nodes)
- Listening to your or your child’s breathing with a stethoscope
Throat swab:
In many cases, doctors use a simple test to detect streptococcal bacteria, the cause of strep throat. The doctor rubs a sterile swab over the back of the throat to get a sample of secretions and sends the sample to a lab for testing. Many Hospital are equipped with a lab that can get a test result for a rapid antigen test within a few minutes. However, a second, often more reliable test, called a throat culture, is sometimes sent to a lab that returns results within 24 to 48 hours.
Rapid antigen tests aren’t as sensitive, although they can detect strep bacteria quickly. Because of this, the doctor may send a throat culture to a lab to test for strep throat if the antigen test comes back negative.
In some cases, doctors may use a molecular test to detect streptococcal bacteria. In this test, a doctor swipes a sterile swab over the back of the throat to get a sample of secretions. The sample is tested in a lab. Your or your child’s doctor may have accurate results within a few minutes.
Treatments
A sore throat caused by a viral infection usually lasts five to seven days and doesn’t usually require medical treatment. Antibiotics don’t help treat a viral infection.
To ease pain and fever, many people turn to acetaminophen (Tylenol, others) or other mild pain relievers.
Consider giving your child over-the-counter pain medications designed for infants or children, such as acetaminophen (Children’s Tylenol, FeverAll, others) or ibuprofen (Children’s Advil, Children’s Motrin, others), to ease symptoms.
Never give aspirin to children or teenagers because it has been linked to Reye’s syndrome, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition that causes swelling in the liver and brain.
Treating bacterial infections:
If your or your child’s sore throat is caused by a bacterial infection, your doctor or pediatrician will prescribe antibiotics.
You or your child must take the full course of antibiotics as prescribed even if the symptoms are gone. Failure to take all of the medication as directed can 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 increase a child’s risk of rheumatic fever or serious kidney inflammation.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about what to do if you forget a dose.
Other treatments:
If a sore throat is a symptom of a condition other than a viral or bacterial infection, other treatments will likely be considered depending on the diagnosis.
Frequently Asked Question on Throat Pain
No, throat pain can be caused by various factors, including non-infectious causes such as allergies, irritants, or acid reflux.
The duration of throat pain depends on the underlying cause. It can last for a few days in viral infections or longer if caused by a bacterial infection
Diagnosis involves a medical history review, physical examination, and sometimes throat swabs or other tests to identify the underlying cause.
Yes, throat pain can be a symptom of COVID-19, along with other respiratory symptoms. If there is a suspicion of COVID-19, testing may be recommended.
In rare cases, surgery may be considered for chronic throat issues, but it’s not a typical treatment for routine throat pain.
To prevent throat pain, practice good hand hygiene, avoid close contact with sick individuals, stay hydrated, and manage allergies or other underlying conditions.