What is fever and sore throat?
Fever refers to an increased body temperature. The definition of fever is not entirely uniform. Often, fever is already mentioned from 38°C.
In the medical field (hospitals, doctor’s surgeries), fever in adults is usually only referred to from a body temperature of 38.5°C. Temperatures between 37.1°C and 38.4°C are then called subfebrile temperatures. In the medical field, sore throat usually refers to pain inside the neck.
Muscular pain in the neck region is more often described as neck pain. A sore throat in the narrower sense of the word usually results from irritation of the mucous membrane of the neck or throat. Sore throat and fever often occur together. Various diseases can be the cause.
Causes
The most common sore throat and increased body temperature occur in the simple and very common cold. However, the body temperature rarely rises above 38.4°C, so that in the strict medical sense of the word we are not talking about fever but only about sub-febrile temperatures. With a real flu (influenza), on the other hand, which is caused by influenza viruses, the body temperature typically rises sharply, to values of up to 41°C.
A sore throat is also a common accompanying symptom of influenza. Other typical symptoms are cough, rhinitis, severe aching limbs, chills and a significantly reduced general condition. Inflammation of the pharyngeal mucosa (pharyngitis) may cause severe sore throat, but fever does not usually occur.
Another typical cause of a combination of fever and sore throat is angina tonsillaris, commonly known as angina or tonsillitis. An abscess in the throat area can also lead to sore throat and fever. Such an abscess is usually the result of an untreated bacterial infection of the ear, nose and throat region.
In children and young people, another possible cause of fever and sore throat is Pfeiffer ́sche glandular fever. In technical jargon, this is known as infectious mononucleosis. This is triggered by the Ebstein-Barr virus.
It leads to sore throat, high fever, swelling of the lymph nodes and significant fatigue. The classic cold, which is very common and affects many people several times a year, is accompanied by coughs, sniffles, sore throats and sometimes slight aching limbs and a slightly reduced performance capacity. Fever, i.e. temperatures above 38.4°C, is extremely rare in a simple cold.
Subfebrile temperatures between 37 and 38.4°C are relatively common. The simple cold usually heals within a few days to about a week without specific therapy. During the period of the common cold, greater physical exertion should be avoided.
Tonsillitis is a disease classically associated with a combination of fever and severe sore throat. It is a bacterial disease, usually with streptococci. The pharynx and palatine tonsils are bright red, on the palatine tonsils there are spotty whitish-yellow coatings, the so-called specks.
Since it is a bacterial inflammation, tonsillitis must usually be treated with antibiotics. Painkillers and antipyretic agents are also used. In children, tonsillitis can be accompanied by a typical rash (exanthema).
This is then no longer referred to as tonsillitis but as scarlet fever. An antibiotic treatment is necessary. In case of an allergic reaction, the symptoms sore throat and fever are rather rare.
Common symptoms of an allergy, however, are:
- Rash,
- Itching (also in the area of the mouth and throat mucosa),
- Tearing, strongly itching eyes and nose,
- Shortness of breath,
- Tachycardia,
- Drop in blood pressure,
- Diarrhoea and
- Abdominal pain
Headaches are a common accompanying symptom of simple colds. Here they occur together with cough, rhinitis and a slight feeling of exhaustion as well as sore throat. Headaches can also occur as an accompanying symptom of influenza.
Headaches are a very unspecific symptom that can accompany many different diseases.Pain in the limbs is an unpleasant feeling of heaviness, pain and weakness in the muscles and joints, especially in the arms and legs. Back pain can also be classified as limb pain in some cases. Pain in the limbs is a common accompanying symptom of seasonal infections.
With the simple cold they are usually only moderately pronounced whereas with the flu (influenza) they are often clearly evident. They are temporary in nature and usually subside after a few days as the infection subsides. You can find more information about fever and back pain here.
Earache is not a classic symptom of a cold or flu. However, especially in children, ear pain occurs more often as part of an infection and is accompanied by fever and sore throat. It is important that the ears are also examined when pain occurs in order to be able to exclude a middle ear infection that occurs relatively frequently in children.
Ear pain can also occur if the ventilation of the inner ear is disturbed by the cold that occurs as part of an infection. If a skin rash occurs in combination with sore throat and fever, this may be an indication of scarlet fever. Scarlet fever occurs mainly as a childhood disease.
It is an inflammation of the tonsils (Angina tonsillaris) with an additional red rash that usually starts in the groin area. This rash typically does not occur in the area around the mouth; it is called perioral paleness. A deep red discoloration of the throat and a raspberry tongue, i.e. a shiny red tongue, are also typical.
Scarlet must be treated with antibiotics. Other childhood illnesses can also be accompanied by fever and rashes, such as three-day fever, rubella, measles, rubella and chickenpox. However, sore throats are much less common as an accompanying symptom in these diseases than in scarlet fever. In adults, the combination of sore throat, fever and rash is less common.