Sore Throat

Symptoms

Sore throat manifests as an inflamed and irritated throat lining and pain when swallowing or at rest. The palatine tonsils may also be inflamed, swollen, and coated. Possible accompanying symptoms include mucus production, cough, hoarseness, fever, headache, runny nose, eye irritation, feeling sick, and fatigue.

Causes

The most common cause of sore throat is a viral infection as part of a cold. Possible causative agents include rhinoviruses, parainfluenza viruses, coronaviruses, RSV, adenoviruses, and enteroviruses. The illness is self-limiting and usually lasts 5 to 10 days. Other viruses that cause serious illness are also possible causes of sore throat. These include herpes viruses such as Epstein-Barr virus (mononucleosis), herpes simplex virus, measles virus, and cytomegalovirus. A few days to weeks after infection with the HI virus (HIV), sore throat may occur along with other symptoms. Especially in children, β-hemolytic group A streptococci are a common trigger. Streptococcal angina manifests itself, among other things, in swollen and clogged tonsils, fever and absence of cough. Other bacilli such as , , chlamydia and mycoplasma can cause the symptoms. In addition to infectious causes, gastroesophageal reflux (heartburn), allergic diseases, smoking, foreign bodies such as fish bones, chemical burns, irritating substances, environmental pollution, muscle strain, and tumors can also trigger sore throats. Another possible trigger is dry air and inflammation of the nasal mucosa in winter.

Transmission

Depending on the infectious agent, transmission occurs as a droplet infection or via contaminated surfaces, through kissing (mononucleosis) or sexually (HIV, gonorrhea, chlamydia).

Diagnosis

Often, the cause of sore throat is trivial, i.e., it is due to a cold and the symptoms disappear on their own after a few days. The diagnosis should exclude more serious causes such as streptococcal angina, mononucleosis, or HIV. Reddened and coated tonsils, pharyngitis, fever, enlarged cervical lymph nodes and absence of cough indicate streptococcus, but the diagnosis cannot be made on the basis of symptoms alone (throat swab). Especially in case of long duration, severe discomfort, concomitant symptoms, and occupied and swollen tonsils, medical clarification is urgent.

Nonpharmacologic treatment

  • Drink plenty of warm teas, e.g. chamomile tea, sage tea.
  • Heat treatment: wear scarves, wraps
  • Keep throat moist with mild lozenges, bronchial pastilles or sage pastilles
  • Semi-solid, liquid, warm and spice-free foods irritate the throat less

Drug treatment

Topical local anesthetics:

Analgesics:

Systemic antibiotics:

Herbal medicines:

Topical disinfectants:

Topical antibiotics:

  • Such as the polypeptide antibiotics tyrothricin and bacitracin are also controversial. For streptococcal angina, oral, not topical, antibiotics are used. Antibiotics are ineffective for viral infections.

Probiotics lozenges: