A scratchy throat and difficulty swallowing are typical symptoms of a sore throat. You can find out here how they arise and what helps.
What is a sore throat?
In the case of a sore throat, the mucous membrane of the throat becomes inflamed, which manifests itself mainly as difficulty swallowing and scratching the throat. The complaints can be one-sided or occur on both sides. Often a sore throat is the first sign of a cold, but they can also indicate other diseases such as tonsillitis or sore throat. As a rule, however, sore throats are harmless and go away on their own after two to three days. With home remedies for a sore throat, it is often easy to get the symptoms under control.
Acute or chronic sore throat?
Sore throats can be both acute and chronic. The acute symptoms are those that often herald a cold and disappear after two to three days without further complications. In some cases, however, they can last up to two weeks. If the sore throat lasts longer, it is considered chronic. In this case, a doctor should definitely look for the possible causes – there could be an allergy behind it, for example.
Causes of Sore Throat
A cold is not always the cause of a sore throat – in fact, it is not always that easy to spot what is causing it. The following causes of sore throat can also be considered:
- Tonsillitis: In tonsillitis, the tonsils in particular are affected. It manifests itself, for example, by a severe sore throat that can radiate to the ears, difficulty swallowing, bad breath, plaque on the tonsils, fever and headache. The disease is mainly caused by bacteria.
- Pharyngitis: The sore throat often begins with a sore throat or sore throat, followed by a burning sensation in the nose and the urge to sneeze. Later on, runny nose, fever and cough can occur. While the sore throat often subsides after two to three days, the other symptoms last for about a week. Usually cold viruses are responsible for the inflammation in the throat.
- Laryngitis: A cold can migrate and spread to the mucous membranes below the throat. As a result, the vocal cords and the mucous membrane in the larynx can swell, often mucus develops – this leads to laryngitis. Bacteria are often the cause.
- Epiglottitis: Above all, it is a dangerous childhood disease that occurs more frequently between the ages of two and eight years and can have serious consequences if the entrance to the larynx swells. This can lead to shortness of breath – quick help from a doctor is required. There is now a vaccination against the most common trigger, a germ called Haemophilus influenzae b, which has made the disease rare.
- Allergy: Allergies like hay fever are among the greatest risks for persistent sore throats. Although they mainly cause sore eyes and runny nose, sore throats or at least an itchy throat are not uncommon.
- Reflux:You don't necessarily think about that when you have a sore throat. In fact, reflux disease can be the cause if acidic stomach contents flow back up the esophagus. This can become inflamed, which manifests itself through heartburn, difficulty swallowing and hoarseness.
- Environmental stimuli: The environment itself can also cause a sore throat. Tobacco smoke and dust in particular, but also dry heating air, irritate the throat and can lead to a sore throat.
- Chronic sinus infection: Those who suffer from chronic sinusitis have to struggle with runny nose above all. The inflamed secretion also runs through the throat to the back of the pharynx and triggers inflammation there, which can be expressed by throat clearing, hoarseness and sore throat.
- Bad oral hygiene: Those who do not take adequate care of their oral hygiene run the risk of inflammation of the gums and oral mucosa. This can also cause a sore throat.
- Immune reaction to drugs: Some medications can have side effects that cause the body to respond by damaging certain white blood cells. This can cause mouth infections or tonsillitis with a sore throat and fever. Anyone who knows that they are sensitive should always read the package insert!
- Autoimmune diseases and chronic diseases: When the immune system attacks the body itself instead of defending it against pathogens, these can spread more easily and cause discomfort.
- Scarlet fever, measles, mumps: The diseases, often referred to as childhood diseases, trigger various symptoms, including a sore throat.
- Overstimulation of the vocal cords: For example, if you sing along loudly at a concert, you put a lot of strain on your voice and can then suffer from hoarseness and a sore throat.
When do I have to see a doctor with a sore throat?
In most cases, a sore throat is harmless and does not need to be treated by a doctor – A few home remedies can help relieve symptoms in the meantime. However, if the symptoms persist and / or accompanying symptoms occur, a visit to the doctor can be useful. These symptoms include:
- Severe cough
- Sore throat that is very severe, keeps getting worse or keeps coming back
- Increasing or recurring difficulty swallowing
- chills
- Locked jaw, that is, problems opening the mouth
- Lump feeling in the throat
- Strong bad breath
- Mouth ulcers
- Shortness of breath
- Whistling breath noises
- Blue lips
- nausea
- Vomit
- Enlarged lymph nodes on the neck or neck
- Strong headache
- stomach pain
- High fever
- skin rash
In addition, the following generally applies: Patients with immunodeficiency should rather see a doctor. In the case of a fever, it is generally advised to see a doctor from around 39 degrees Celsius; in babies and small children, a persistent 38 degrees are the limit.
Treating a sore throat
If the sore throat can be traced back to a simple infection such as a cold, it does not have to be treated forcibly. However, since the symptoms can be painful, it can also be alleviated in a gentle way, for example with home remedies. These include:
- Gargle salt water: Even our grandmother knew that a sore throat can be relieved by gargling salt water several times a day. To do this, simply dissolve half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water and gargle carefully.
- Warmth: We quickly shiver when we have a cold. It is important that we keep warm, because this allows the immune system to concentrate on fighting the pathogens. When having a sore throat, we should always wear a scarf or scarf around our necks.
- Herbal tea: Various herbs have anti-inflammatory effects and help get rid of a sore throat faster. Sage or chamomile, for example, which can be easily consumed in the form of tea, are suitable.
Even more help with sore throats
More gentle helpers can be found in the article Home remedies for a sore throat. Here we explain, for example, how useful neck wraps are.
When are home remedies no longer sufficient?
Not in every case can we relieve the sore throat with home remedies. If the symptoms can be traced back to a bacterial infection (which is rare, but possible), antibiotics are used, for example. Symptoms like
- Fever over 38 degrees,
- difficult breathing,
- Sensitive lymph nodes
- and inflamed coverings on the tonsils
indicate a bacterial infection. Here the doctor must make an appropriate diagnosis and treat it.
In the case of generally pronounced pain, lozenges from the pharmacist can have pain-numbing and anti-inflammatory effects. Classic pain relievers such as paracetamol can also be used. If the symptoms can be traced back to increased smoking, for example, you should stop tobacco consumption if possible. Anyone who suffers from an allergy should receive targeted treatment, for example by means of a so-called desensitization. The person concerned is given the relevant allergen in gradually larger doses in order to get the body used to it. The treatment takes a long time, but in the best case it can also cure the allergy completely.
Reading tips: You now know everything you should know about a sore throat. We reveal home remedies for fever and home remedies for colds here. We also explain everything you should know about coughs.
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sources
DEGAM guideline No. 14 sore throat (status: 2009)
Infoportal of the professional association of paediatricians e.V .: www.kinderaerzte-im-netz.de
Mader, F.H .: General Medicine and Practice, Springer-Verlag, 7th edition, 2014