What is a sore throat?
A sore throat means that your throat hurts. It feels irritated or scratchy. You may feel mild discomfort or a burning pain. A sore throat may feel worse when you swallow. Possible complications from a sore throat include ear and sinus infections. Another complication is an abscess (buildup of pus) near your tonsils.
Symptoms of a sore throat
A sore throat means that your throat hurts and is irritated, swollen, or scratchy. It usually hurts worse when you swallow. Depending on the cause of your sore throat, symptoms include:
- Fever
- Headache
- White spots on your throat or tonsils
- Red, swollen tonsils
- Swollen glands in your neck
- Skin rash
In some cases, additional symptoms include:
- Abdominal pain (usually in children)
- Vomiting (usually in children)
- Joint or muscle pain
What causes a sore throat?
Most sore throats are caused by viruses, such as the cold or flu virus. Some of the more serious causes of sore throat include tonsillitis, strep throat, and mononucleosis (mono). Other causes include smoking, mouth breathing at night while you sleep, pollution, and allergies to pets, pollens and molds. General anesthesia during surgery can cause a sore throat.
How is a sore throat diagnosed?
Your doctor will do a physical exam. They will look at the back of your throat. Your doctor may swab the back of your throat. This is called a throat culture. It is done to collect a sample of bacteria. This also is used in a rapid strep test. This is a quick test to diagnose strep throat. The test won’t tell if your sore throat is caused by something other than strep. The results of a throat culture takes between 24 and 48 hours. If your doctor thinks you may have mono, they will probably do a blood test.
Can a sore throat be prevented or avoided?
The best way to avoid a sore throat is to avoid getting sick. Avoid catching or spreading the viruses and bacteria that cause a sore throat. Wash your hands regularly. Avoid touching your eyes or mouth. Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing.
Sore throat treatment
If your sore throat is cause by the flu, your doctor may prescribe antiviral medicine. Antibiotics don’t work on viruses. Most sore throats caused by a cold or flu-type virus go away in a week to 10 days.
If your sore throat is caused by bacteria, your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic. You will feel better in a few days. It is important to take all of your antibiotics. This reduces the risk that your sore throat will return.
Symptoms caused by mono can last for 4 weeks or more. The treatment for mono is rest and reduced exercise.
If a sore throat is caused by allergies, your doctor may talk to you about allergy triggers. He or she may recommend medicine for the allergy.
If your sore throat is caused by tonsillitis, you may need an operation. This is called a tonsillectomy. The surgery removes your tonsils. Most people who have tonsillitis don’t need surgery. You might need surgery if you get severe tonsillitis often. You may need surgery if your tonsils are too big.
Living with a sore throat
Easing the pain of a sore throat is all you can do beyond treatment. The best remedies include:
- Take over-the-counter pain medicine. This includes brand names such as Tylenol, Motrin, and Aleve. Do not give children younger than 18 aspirin. Aspirin may cause Reye’s syndrome. This can be fatal.
- Gargle with warm salt water. Mix 1 teaspoon of salt with 1 cup of water and stir.
- Suck on an over-the-counter throat lozenge. Hard candy works too.
- Eat a popsicle.
- Use a humidifier in your bedroom. Move it to other rooms you spend time in.
- Drink liquids to keep your throat from getting dry. Also, this helps prevent dehydration.
Questions to ask your doctor
- Will hot drinks make my sore throat worse?
- Does honey help ease the pain of a sore throat?
- Should I go to work or school if I have a sore throat?
- Can a dry room cause a sore throat?
- Can certain medicines cause a sore throat?
Is it painful to swallow? Or is your throat scratchy? A virus may be causing your sore throat.
Most sore throats, except for strep throat, do not need antibiotics.
Causes
Causes of sore throat include:
- Viruses, like those that cause colds or flu
- The bacteria group A strep, which causes strep throat (also called streptococcal pharyngitis)
- Allergies
- Smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke
Of these, infections from viruses are the most common cause of sore throats.
Strep throat is an infection in the throat and tonsils caused by bacteria. These bacteria are called group A Streptococcus (also called Streptococcus pyogenes).
Symptoms of Sore Throat
A sore throat can make it painful to swallow. A sore throat can also feel dry and scratchy. Sore throat can be a symptom of strep throat, the common cold, allergies, or other upper respiratory tract illness. Sore throat caused by a virus or the bacteria called group A Streptococcus can have similar symptoms.
Sometimes the following symptoms suggest a virus is causing the illness instead of Strep throat:
- Cough
- Runny nose
- Hoarseness (changes in your voice that makes it sound breathy, raspy, or strained)
- Conjunctivitis (also called pink eye)
Symptoms of Strep Throat
The most common symptoms of strep throat include:
- Sore throat that can start very quickly
- Pain when swallowing
- Fever
- Red and swollen tonsils, sometimes with white patches or streaks of pus
- Tiny red spots on the roof of the mouth
- Swollen lymph nodes in the front of the neck
Sometimes someone with strep throat also has a rash known as scarlet fever (also called scarlatina).
When to Seek Medical Care
Talk to your doctor if you or your child have symptoms of sore throat. They may need to test you or your child for strep throat.
Also see a doctor if you or your child have any of the following:
- Difficulty breathing
- Difficulty swallowing
- Blood in saliva or phlegm
- Excessive drooling (in young children)
- Dehydration
- Joint swelling and pain
- Rash
This list is not all-inclusive. Please see your doctor for any symptom that is severe or concerning.
See a doctor if symptoms do not improve within a few days or get worse. Tell your doctor if you or your child have recurrent sore throats.
Treatment
A doctor will determine what type of illness you have by asking about symptoms and doing a physical examination. Sometimes they will also swab your throat.
A virus causes the most common type of sore throat and is not strep throat.
- Only 3 in 10 children with a sore throat have strep throat.
- Only about 1 in 10 adults with a sore throat has strep throat.
A healthy throat and a sore throat, including uvula and tongue, showing inflamed tonsils.
baby icon Talk to a healthcare professional right away if your child is under 3 months old with a fever of 100.4 °F (38 °C) or higher.
Since bacteria cause strep throat, antibiotics are needed to treat the infection and prevent rheumatic fever and other complications. A doctor cannot tell if someone has strep throat just by looking in the throat. If your doctor thinks you might have strep throat, they can test you to determine if it is causing your illness.
Anyone with strep throat should stay home from work, school, or daycare until they no longer have fever AND have taken antibiotics for at least 12 hours.
If a virus causes a sore throat, antibiotics will not help. Most sore throats will get better on their own within one week. Your doctor may prescribe other medicine or give you tips to help you feel better.
When antibiotics aren’t needed, they won’t help you, and their side effects could still cause harm. Side effects can range from mild reactions, like a rash, to more serious health problems. These problems can include severe allergic reactions, antibiotic-resistant infections and C. diff infection. C. diff causes diarrhea that can lead to severe colon damage and death.
How to Feel Better
Some ways you can feel better when you have a sore throat:
- Suck on ice chips, popsicles, or lozenges (do not give lozenges to children younger than 2 years).
- Use a clean humidifier or cool mist vaporizer.
- Gargle with salt water.
- Drink warm beverages and plenty of fluids.
- Use honey to relieve cough for adults and children at least 1 year of age or older.
- Ask your doctor or pharmacist about over-the-counter medicines that can help you feel better. Always use over-the-counter medicines as directed.
Over-the-Counter Medicine and Children
Carefully read and follow instructions on over-the-counter medicine product labels before giving medicines to children. Some over-the-counter medicines are not recommended for children of certain ages.
- Pain relievers:
- Children younger than 6 months: only give acetaminophen.
- Children 6 months or older: it is OK to give acetaminophen or ibuprofen.
- Never give aspirin to children because it can cause Reye’s syndrome. Reye’s syndrome is a very serious, but rare illness that can harm the liver and brain.
- Cough and cold medicines:
- Children younger than 4 years old: do not use over-the-counter cough and cold medicines in young children unless a doctor specifically tells you to. Cough and cold medicines can result in serious and sometimes life-threatening side effects in young children.
- Children 4 years or older: discuss with your child’s doctor if over-the-counter cough and cold medicines are safe to give to your child.
Ask your doctor or pharmacist about the right dosage of over-the-counter medicines for your child’s age and size. Also, tell your child’s doctor and pharmacist about all prescription and over-the-counter medicines they are taking.
Prevention
You can help prevent sore throats by doing your best to stay healthy and keep others healthy, including:
- Clean your hands.
- Avoid close contact with people who have sore throats, colds, or other upper respiratory infections.
- Don’t smoke and avoid exposure to secondhand smoke.