Interesting Facts About Sore Throat

Your throat aches and burns. It’s painful to swallow. You know something is wrong, but how bad is it? Will it get better without antibiotics? Or will you need to visit the doctor? This article is designed to help you find relieve from your sore throat, and discover the things that we did not cover in the last article. You will find the telltale signs of strep throat and the common sore throat and causes of sore throat.

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Differences Between Sore Throat and Strep Throat
Just like strep throat, sore throat is just as annoying and painful. Sore throat refers to pain, itchiness, or irritation of the throat, leading to difficulty in swallowing food and liquid. While these illness may seem identical, there are some key differences you should watch out for. A sore throat’s primary symptoms include a painful (as the name implies) and dry throat, swollen glands in the neck, white patches in the tonsils and hoarseness. Meanwhile, strep throat may also manifest through these symptoms, but will also come with other indicators, such as loss of appetite, headaches, rashes and fever, to name a few. Both sore and strep throat affect people of all ages, but the risk of being diagnosed is higher for children and people who share close spaces with others. However, there are other risk factors connected to sore throat such as smoking, exposure to someone with sore or strep throat, having a weak immune systems, irregularly-shaped or large tonsils and acid reflux.

Causes of Sore Throat
The causes of sore throat is mainly about bacteria and viruses, but it also includes allergies, chickenpox, croup (a common childhood illness characterized by a harsh, barking cough) and more which mostly I am going to list down below.

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No. 1: Allergies
When you were a child and had a sore throat, a throat lozenge just seemed to erase the pain. But now, your sore, scratchy throat can persist for days and weeks, no matter how you treat it. When your sore throat as a result of an allergic reaction to airborne particles such as pollen, treatments become a little more complicated. Addressing the precise cause of allergies can help alleviate that sore throat once and for all.

Postnasal drip is the main culprit in cases of allergy- induced sore throat. It’s the result of exposure to an allergen and when congestion in the sinuses drains down the throat. This causes tickling or scratchy pain. The drainage also can cause:

  • Coughing
  • Excessive swallowing
  • Throat irritation
  • Difficulty speaking

Many allergies, such as pollen allergies, are seasonal. If you experience symptoms year-round, your symptoms will worsen during the seasons of high airborne irritants. These irritants can include pollinating flowers and trees during the springtime. Other common allergens include:

  • Cigarette smokes
  • Dust mites
  • Mold and mildew
  • Pet dander (especially cats and dogs)

Allergies symptoms generally include, congestion, itchy eyes, and coughing. If you have a sore throat with fever and body aches, it’s likely the result of a viral infection, like a cold or flu. Scratchiness is another way to determine whether you have an allergy-induce sore throat. In addition to the “raw” feeling that results postnasal drainage, particles that directly enter the respiratory system can cause a scratchy feeling.