(Acute) sore throat is usually the result of an infection with a germ (a virus or a bacterium). The immune system responds with an inflammation.
It can be an infection and inflammation of the mucous membrane of the throat (pharyngitis), the tonsils (tonsillitis) or the larynx (laryngitis). Sometimes these various infections and inflammations can occur together.
When the throat and the tonsils of the throat are inflamed, it is sometimes called an angina. The term angina is also sometimes used for infection of the throat by bacteria (strep). Sore throat can also be one of the symptoms of another illness, such as a cold, flu or measles.
Other causes of acute sore throat
Other possible causes of acute sore throat include:
- throat irritation: especially with smokers, with environmental factors (drought, irritants ...), with incorrect use of the voice (by shouting or calling).
- glandular fever (Mononucleosis infectiosa): usually in young people who are often tired and sick for more than a week. Usually there are also glands in other places; liver and spleen can also be swollen.
- diphtheria
- malaria: with a red throat and fever and a return from the tropics
Causes of a throat infection
The most common cause of a throat infection is a viral infection of the upper respiratory tract, such as a cold. Bronchitis, pneumonia, flu, pertussis, measles, diphtheria and other upper respiratory tract infections can also cause a throat infection.
- Viruses, usually cold viruses, are responsible for forty to fifty percent of all throat infections.
- Bacteria cause just under 30 percent. The main culprit is the strep. Other bacteria are staphylococci.
- The germ cannot be identified with the other thirty percent.
Streptococcal infections occur primarily in children between 5 and 15 years. In very rare cases, these bacteria can cause serious complications such as acute rheumatism that can also affect the arteries and heart, and acute kidney disease.
Complaints with a throat infection
An acute throat infection comes on suddenly and usually lasts no longer than a week. Usually the symptoms reach their peak after 2-3 days and then subside. The cough can persist for a few weeks.
- dry throat
- sore throat (can also radiate to the ear)
- difficulty swallowing
- hoarse or hoarse voice, gradual loss of voice (especially with laryngitis)
- swollen neck glands
- red and swollen throat mucosa and throat tonsils
- difficult breathing (with inflammation of the larynx (laryngitis) due to swelling of the larynx)
- runny nose, cough
- low to fairly high fever
- sometimes head and muscle pain
- sometimes nausea and vomiting
- feeling tired and sick
In severe cases, the pharynx or tonsils, or both, may get set up to cause breathing problems. Sometimes an abscess occurs alongside an almond: a peritonsillary abscess. Swallowing causes severe pain. The patient feels sick, has a fever and is characteristic that he tends to hold his head to the side of the abscess to reduce the pain. Spasms of the chewing muscles make it difficult to open the mouth. The abscess pushes the almond forward and the soft palate at the back of the throat is red and swollen. Then admission to a hospital is required. An abscess is rare in children, but is more common in young adults.
Treatment of a throat infection
Healthy adults and children usually heal within a week, even when it is a streptococcal infection. The treatment is therefore primarily intended to relieve the symptoms.
- Rest a lot and get sick. If you feel fit enough, you can work.
- Drink a lot. Hot drinks such as soup, warm herbal tea with honey and a little lemon are recommended. Cold drinks or ice cream can also alleviate pain. Be moderate with alcohol.
- Dissolve a teaspoon of salt in a glass of warm water and gargle with it a few times a day.
- Suck on a hard candy or ice cube to stimulate saliva production.
- (Semi) liquid food such as pudding hurts less than hard food.
- Try to avoid irritation of the throat. Stop smoking.
- Laryngitis is relieved by giving the voice a rest by not talking or just whispering.
- Steaming under a towel can relieve the symptoms.
Medicines for throat infection
An ordinary painkiller helps with pain and fever. Take paracetamol, a safe medicine with very few side effects. Only if acetaminophen does not help sufficiently can you try another painkiller such as ibuprofen or diclofenac. Do not use aspirin in young children.
Antibiotics
Sore throats are usually caused by a virus and antibiotics do not work against that. Only with streptococcal infections do antibiotics have a favorable effect on the evolution (reduction of the duration of the symptoms by 1 to 2 days), provided that treatment is started within two days after the onset of symptoms.
It has not been proven that antibiotics reduce the risk of local complications (abscess, otitis, sinusitis).
Antibiotics are therefore only prescribed to patients at risk with a sore throat:
- cancer patients
- people with acute rheumatism
- people with reduced general resistance
- in the event of a streptococcal infection in a closed community (school, retirement home ...)
- with toxic syndrome: very sick patient with a high fever
- if five times acute sore throat a year, two years in succession.
- With chronic conditions such as heart failure, heart valve problems, asthma….
