What are the accompanying symptoms of sore throat when swallowing?
Whether and which other complaints besides sore throats exist depends on the underlying disease.
- Flu-like infections can cause rhinitis, fever, cough and a general feeling of listlessness. The sinuses can also be blocked and become noticeable by headaches.
- With many infections, but especially typically with Pfeiffer’s glandular fever, swollen lymph nodes are found.
- A lateral strand gangina is often accompanied by inflammation of the middle ear.
This results in a reddened auditory canal and hearing loss.
- Bacterial infections often lead to whitish deposits in the swollen throat and can cause bad breath.
- In a child with a barking cough, one should also think of pseudocroup, a viral infection that leads to laryngitis.
- Children with measles initially experience sore throats and other flu-like symptoms until the typical rash appears all over the body.
Fever often occurs as an accompanying symptom in addition to sore throat. A fever is an elevated core body temperature, which can be measured most accurately rectally. In adults, a fever is said to exist if the body temperature exceeds 38°C, in children it is said to be 38.5°C.
Fever is a natural reaction of the body to combat pathogens. However, if the reaction is excessive, there is also the risk that the body’s own proteins and structures are destroyed. The doctor then prescribes antipyretic agents.
In a fever episode, the patient initially shows chills and later sweats more. Children in particular often suffer from fever.Like sore throat, fever can have many causes. These include both viral and bacterial pathogens such as streptococci and pneumococci.
Via the upper part of the throat, the nasopharynx, the oral cavity is connected to the middle ear via the so-called tuba auditiva. Inflammations can easily spread in this way and throat infections can be accompanied by middle ear infections. In addition to sore throat, earache also occurs.
However, an inflammation is not always necessary: the swollen mucosa in the throat can cause the opening of the tube to swell. This becomes noticeable by an unpleasant feeling of pressure on the ears. In case of ear pain, a doctor should be consulted who will look at the ear canal and eardrum and can diagnose an inflammation of the middle ear.
If the underlying infection is successfully treated, the throat and ear pain should have subsided. Normally, lymph nodes are neither visible nor palpable. If there is an inflammation in the throat and pharynx, these lymph nodes usually become enlarged.
The location of the lymph nodes allows conclusions to be drawn about the possible disease. In the case of tonsillitis, for example, the lymph nodes on the side of the neck swell up. The inflammation causes the lymph nodes to swell, as they are part of the immune system.
The immune defence is particularly required in the case of an infection and can be so strong that the lymph nodes become inflamed, swell and hurt. Once the inflammation of the throat subsides, the swelling of the lymph nodes usually goes down as well. In some cases, sore throats become noticeable when yawn or when the mouth is opened wide, or become even worse.
This is because the inflamed mucous membrane is stretched in the process. The inflammation makes the pain receptors particularly sensitive and sends a pain stimulus to the brain. Here, the inflammation lies mainly in the back of the throat and pharynx and thus leads to sore throat when yawning.
If the vocal chords are overstrained, for example by loud screaming and roaring, a sore throat can occur. Speaking becomes painful and sometimes turns into incomprehensible croaking. Here one should spare his vocal chords and speak as little as possible in the next days.
It is not necessary to whisper, however, the speech volume should be lowered a little to protect the vocal chords. Inflammations in the context of infections usually affect the entire mucous membrane of the mouth and throat. A lateral gangina may occur on one side only and lead to sore throat when swallowing.
Another cause of unilateral sore throat can be a so-called abscess of the tonsils, an encapsulated accumulation of pus. This is usually a complication of previous inflammation. The throat is strongly reddened and especially swallowing is painful, as is speaking and opening the mouth.
Sometimes a displacement of the uvula is visible. Tumors in the neck or thyroid gland can also be responsible for unilateral sore throat. Especially if breathing difficulties, coughing up blood and hoarseness occur simultaneously, an ear, nose and throat doctor should be consulted immediately.
Smoking for many years increases the risk of developing a throat tumor. The therapy fails depending on the diagnosis: an abscess can be opened and drained and treated with antibiotics. In the case of cancer, there are different approaches depending on the patient’s profile and the tumor status.
Unilateral sore throat when swallowing is a special form of sore throat. It can occur isolated on the right or on the left side. If the trigger is found on the right side, for example an abscess, the right side is particularly sensitive to pain.
A lateral gangina sometimes only affects one side of the throat. As a result of the inflammation, the mucous membrane is better supplied with blood and appears reddened; it is also very sensitive to pain. If the abscess is on the left side, the left side is correspondingly more painful. Even if a lateral gangina mainly extends over the left side of the pharyngeal mucosa, the left side is more sensitive and painful.
