Sore Throat

Tonsillopharyngitis Throat Infection Infections of the throat and/or tonsils are common, particularly among children. Throat infections are usually caused by a virus but may be caused by bacteria such as streptococcal bacteria... read more is infection of the tonsils (patches of lymphoid tissue at the back of the throat) and the throat (pharynx). Doctors may use the term tonsillitis when the tonsils are particularly inflamed or the term pharyngitis when the tonsils are not particularly inflamed or when people who have no tonsils have a sore throat.

Tonsillopharyngitis is usually caused by a virus, typically one of the same viruses that causes the common cold Common Cold The common cold is a viral infection of the lining of the nose, sinuses, and throat. Many different viruses cause colds. Usually, colds are spread when a person's hands come in contact with... read more . Most common colds begin with a mild sore throat. A less common viral cause is acute mononucleosis Infectious Mononucleosis Epstein-Barr virus causes a number of diseases, including infectious mononucleosis. The virus is spread through kissing. Symptoms vary, but the most common are extreme fatigue, fever, sore throat... read more (caused by the Epstein-Barr virus), which occurs mainly in children and young adults. The coronavirus that causes COVID-19 COVID-19 COVID-19 is an acute respiratory illness that can be severe and is caused by the coronavirus named SARS-CoV-2. Symptoms of COVID-19 vary significantly. Two types of tests can be used to diagnose... read more and other coronaviruses Coronaviruses and Acute Respiratory Syndromes (MERS and SARS) Coronaviruses are a large family of viruses that cause respiratory illness ranging in severity from the common cold to fatal pneumonia. There are many different coronaviruses. Most of them cause... read more can also cause a sore throat. Rarer still, sore throat can be part of the initial infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) or due to chronic fungal infections in people with HIV infections, such as thrush.

About 10% of sore throats in adults (and slightly more in children) are caused by a type of Streptococcus bacteria (streptococci). Such streptococcal infections are often called strep throat Throat Infection Infections of the throat and/or tonsils are common, particularly among children. Throat infections are usually caused by a virus but may be caused by bacteria such as streptococcal bacteria... read more . Strep throat is unusual in children younger than 2 years. If untreated, streptococcal infections can lead to serious complications such as rheumatic fever Rheumatic Fever Rheumatic fever is inflammation of the joints, heart, skin, and nervous system, resulting from a complication of untreated streptococcal infection of the throat. This condition is a reaction... read more (now rare in developed countries), a kidney disorder called glomerulonephritis Glomerulonephritis Glomerulonephritis is a disorder of glomeruli (clusters of microscopic blood vessels in the kidneys with small pores through which blood is filtered). It is characterized by body tissue swelling... read more , or an abscess)

Rare bacterial causes include gonorrhea Gonorrhea Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the bacteria Neisseria gonorrhoeae, which infect the lining of the urethra, cervix, rectum, or throat, or the membranes that cover... read more and diphtheria Diphtheria Diphtheria is a contagious, sometimes fatal infection of the upper respiratory tract caused by the gram-positive, rod-shaped bacteria (see figure ) Corynebacterium diphtheriae. Some types... read more (in countries with low vaccination rates).

A collection of pus (abscess Tonsillar Cellulitis and Tonsillar Abscess Tonsillar cellulitis is a bacterial infection of the tissues around the tonsils. A tonsillar abscess is a collection of pus behind the tonsils. Sometimes, bacteria that infect the throat spread... read more ) may form beneath or near one of the tonsils (peritonsillar abscess). The usual cause is a streptococcal infection that has spread from the tonsils into deeper tissue. In young children, an abscess can form in the tissue at the back of the throat (retropharyngeal abscess Retropharyngeal Abscess A retropharyngeal abscess is a collection of pus in the back of the throat. A retropharyngeal abscess is caused by a bacterial infection. Symptoms include difficulty and pain when swallowing... read more ).

The epiglottis is a small flap of tissue that closes the entrance to the voice box and windpipe during swallowing. The epiglottis can become infected by certain bacteria (epiglottitis Epiglottitis Epiglottitis is a bacterial infection of the epiglottis and surrounding tissues. Epiglottitis may block the windpipe (trachea) and be fatal. The main symptoms are severe sore throat and noisy... read more ). This infection causes severe pain and swelling. The swelling can close off the windpipe, particularly in infants and children. Epiglottitis used to occur mainly in children and usually was caused by Haemophilus influenzae type B (HiB) bacteria. Now, in areas where most children are vaccinated against HiB, epiglottitis is quite rare in children, but HiB is still a cause in adults and unvaccinated children.

In people with a sore throat, certain symptoms and characteristics are cause for concern. They include

People who have warning signs should go to the hospital right away.

People with a sore throat but no warning signs should call their doctor. People who have typical cold symptoms and mild to moderate discomfort may be advised to stay at home and treat their symptoms Treatment Sore throat is pain in the back of the throat. A sore throat can be very painful and is usually worsened by swallowing. Many people with a sore throat refuse to eat or drink. Sometimes pain... read more with over-the-counter (OTC) remedies. People with severe pain and/or other symptoms (such as fever, extreme fatigue, or a productive cough) typically should be seen right away.

Doctors first ask questions about the person's symptoms and medical history and then do a physical examination. What doctors find during the history and physical examination helps them decide what, if any, tests need to be done (see table ).

During the medical history, doctors ask about the following:

During the physical examination, doctors focus on the nose and throat. However, if doctors suspect epiglottitis in children (because there are warning signs and no evidence of a cold), they do not examine the throat in their office because inserting a tongue depressor may cause a spasm that triggers complete airway blockage.

If epiglottitis is not suspected, doctors do the following:

The need for tests depends on what doctors find during the history and physical examination, particularly whether warning signs are present.

Possible tests include

A doctor's first concern is to recognize which people might have epiglottitis. Stridor and drooling are warning signs, particularly in people who appear ill or with difficulty breathing. In such cases, people should not have x-rays. Instead, the doctor looks down the throat with a thin, flexible viewing tube inserted through the nose (flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy). Because children are more likely to have sudden, complete blockage of their airway when their throat is examined, doctors minimize this danger by doing this examination only in the operating room, where advanced airway equipment and personnel are available. Adults who do not appear seriously ill and have no respiratory symptoms may have neck x-rays to look for a swollen epiglottis or have flexible fiberoptic laryngoscopy done in the emergency department or a specialist's office.

Despite what many people think, it is difficult for doctors to distinguish a strep throat from a sore throat caused by a virus based only on appearance. Both may cause a very red throat with white patches. Thus, unless people clearly have just a cold, doctors usually do tests to diagnose strep throat. There are two types of test, a rapid strep antigen test and a throat culture. Both tests are done on a sample taken from the back of the throat with a swab. The rapid strep antigen test can be done in the doctor's office in about 20 minutes. The rapid test is usually done only in children. If results are positive, children are treated for strep throat with antibiotics. If results are negative, another sample is sent to the laboratory for culture (growing microorganisms on a special gel so that there are enough to identify). If adults need testing for strep throat, doctors usually do only a throat culture because adults may have another bacterial infection that would not be identified by the rapid antigen test.

An abscess is often noticeable during the doctor's examination. The doctor can both diagnose and treat the abscess by inserting a small needle into the swollen area after spraying the throat with an anesthetic. If pus comes out, an abscess is confirmed, and the doctor removes as much pus as possible. If the location and extent of an abscess are unclear, computed tomography (CT) of the neck is performed.

Doctors do blood tests for mononucleosis or HIV only when they suspect people have one of these infections.