Sore Throat
When your throat is red and sore, there are ways to help relieve pain quickly. While a sore throat is usually not serious, you should know when to consult a doctor. The following information will help you care for yourself with confidence.
Why is my throat sore?
What can I do?
When should I call the Doctor?
Why is my throat sore?
When your throat hurts, it's a sign your body is fighting off invaders such as germs or allergens (substances to which you're allergic). Other symptoms that often go along with sore throats are hoarseness and swollen lymph nodes in your neck. A sore throat can be caused by a viral infection such as the common cold or flu virus, or by a bacterial infection such as the streptococcus group A bacteria which is the cause of "strep throat". Other causes of sore throats include cigarette smoke, straining the voice (e.g. after shouting at a football game) or allergens, which are substances which precipitate allergies.
What can I do?
Your goal is to reduce discomfort and eliminate the cause of your sore throat. Consider the self-care tips below.
1. Stop smoking or at least cut down.
2. Gargle with warm salt water. It helps soothe the irritated throat and reduces swelling in the tissue. This is the safest, least expensive and probably the most effective treatment for a sore throat. Dissolve 1/2 tsp of salt in 8 oz. of warm water. Gargle every two hours.
3. Sipping warm liquids like hot tea or hot broth can soothe the throat, and the heat increases circulation to the throat to promote healing. The saltiness of the soup also helps to reduce swelling, much like a salt water gargle.
4. Rest your voice. Avoid using your voice for long periods and refrain from screaming or yelling.
5. Hard candy can also soothe and lubricate your throat.
6. Increase the humidity in your home with a vaporizer, a pan of water near your heat source, or by turning on a hot shower to create steam. Hot dry air can cause or aggravate a sore throat, and humidity will provide relief to a dry, parched throat.
7. Over the counter pain relievers such as acetaminophen and aspirin (ASA) can reduce the pain of a sore throat. They are also anti-inflammatories, and as such can reduce the fever that often accompanies a cold or flu. Because aspirin use with young children and adolescents has been linked to a serious disease called Reye's Syndrome, it should not be used by individuals younger than 19 years of age. Instead, use acetaminophen to reduce pain and fever that may accompany a sore throat.
Warning: Do not gargle with aspirin in water. Undissolved particles may stick in the throat and cause irritation of the tissues.
8. If allergies are causing your sore throat, an antihistamine will stop irritated mucus from dripping. If possible stay in environments where the allergen is filtered out. Some effective antihistamines are Claritin, Seldane and Dimetapp. Be aware that they may cause drowsiness.
When should I call the Doctor?
Call your Doctor if:
¥ your temperature is 39°C or higher.
¥ you notice white patches in the back of your throat
¥ breathing or swallowing is very difficult.
¥ lymph nodes in your neck are hard, swollen, or tender.
¥ you have a skin rash.
¥ you were recently exposed to the Strep A bacteria
¥ you have an earache or joint pains
¥ pain is severe and lasts for more than a few days
Tonsillitis
The tonsils are masses of lymphatic tissue located at the back of the throat. They produce antibodies designed to help your child fight respiratory infections. When these tissues themselves become infected, the resulting condition is called tonsillitis.
Tonsillitis most commonly affects children between the ages of three and seven, when tonsils may play their most active infection-fighting role. But as the child grows, the tonsils shrink, and infections become less common. Tonsillitis is usually not serious, unless a tonsillar abscess develops. When this happens, the swelling can be severe enough to block your child's breathing. Secondary ear infections (otitis media) and adenoid problems are other complications.
Symptoms
Causes
Treatment
Prevention
Symptoms
* A very sore throat with red, swollen tonsils; there may be a white discharge or spots on the tonsils.
* Swollen and tender lymph nodes in the neck under the jaw.
* A low-grade fever and headache accompanying the other symptoms.
For tonsillar abscess:
In addition to inflamed tonsils, severe pain and tenderness around the area of the soft palate, at the roof of the mouth, and difficulty swallowing.
Distinctively muffled speech, as if the child is speaking with a mouthful of mashed potatoes, caused by swelling from the abscess.
Causes
Most tonsil infections and tonsillar abscesses in elementary school-age children are caused by the streptococcal bacterium, the same organism that causes strep throat. Cold or influenza (flu) viruses sometimes also cause tonsillitis.
Treatment
To check your child's tonsils, place the handle of a spoon on her tongue and ask the child to say "aaahhh" while you direct a light on the back of her throat. If the tonsils look bright red and swollen, call your pediatrician.
Prevention
Tonsillectomy, the surgical removal of the tonsils, is performed much less frequently today than in years past. Doctors now generally recommend the operation only in serious cases, such as when tonsillar abscess is a recurring problem. If surgery is performed, your child may need to be hospitalized for a day or two and her throat will be sore for four or five days.
Strep Throat
Strep throat is a bacterial infection that makes your throat feel sore and scratchy, among other symptoms. The bacteria that causes strep is called Streptococcus pyogenes and is highly contagious. Strep throat is most common in children between 5 and 15 but can affect people of all ages. Strep throat is treatable but prevention is the best cure.
Symptoms of strep throat usually begin within 2 to 5 days after coming in contact with someone who has a strep infection. Strep throat normally goes away in 3 to 7 days with or without antibiotic treatment. However, if allergies or irritants are the cause of your sore throat, it will usually last longer unless the cause is eliminated.
Symptoms
When to call a doctor
Causes
Possible consequences
Detection and treatment
Prevention
Symptoms
* Throat pain
* Difficulty swallowing
* Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks
* Swollen, tender lymph glands in the neck
* Fever
* Headache
* Rash
* Stomachache and sometimes vomiting, especially in younger children
When to call a Doctor
You have a severe sore throat occurs along with the following symptoms, especially in a small child:
* Fever of 101 °F(38.3 °C) or more
* Drooling
* Difficulty breathing
* Head pushed forward to breathe
* A severe sore throat and fever over 101 °F(38.3 °C) that lasts longer than 1 to 2 days.
* A severe sore throat 2 to 5 days after you know you have been exposed to someone with strep.
Causes
Some people carry strep, meaning they can pass the bacteria on to others, but the bacteria don't make them sick. The strep bacteria can spread via airborne droplets from coughs and sneezes from people infected with the bacteria. Children can also pick it up from a doorknob or other surface and transfer them to their noses or mouths. Kitchen utensils and bathroom objects are other common sources of infection transmission.
Possible consequences
If strep throat is not treated it may lead to serious inflammatory diseases of the heart, joints and kidneys but this is rare. Rheumatic fever is one of these complications.
Detection and treatment
Strep throat is diagnosed by taking a culture of the bacteria from the back of the throat and sending it to a laboratory to be tested. A positive culture indicates a potential Strep A infection. Antibiotics are used to treat Strep throat. It is important to take antibiotics for the full ten day period. Shortly after starting antibiotics a person may start to feel better and the sore throat may disappear, but the bacteria are still present, which puts a person at risk of developing complications. Taking antibiotics for the prescribed period will eliminate the harmful bacteria.
Prevention
Keeping your hands clean is the best way to protect you and your family from catching anything. Cover your mouth when you sneeze and cough and do not share eating/drinking utensils if infected with strep.
