Interesting Facts About Sore Throat

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No. 2: Dry Air
While some people automatically assume that the respiratory infection is to blame for their sore throat, the actual culprit might be the dry air. When there is minimal moisture vapor in the air, you are more likely to experience symptoms such as a sore throat, nose bleeds, sinuses headaches, and other related problems. This is due to the fact that the dry air is literally sucking the moisture out of you skin and body. This delicate mucus membranes in your nostrils will begin to dry out, and so will the moisture coating your throat. This isn’t something that happens immediately, but prolonged exposure to excessively dry air will cause symptoms such as this to manifest. Exposure to dry air cause the saliva in the throat to literally evaporate, making it feel rough and scratchy. Drinking plenty of water may minimize the symptoms, but it’s not a long-term solution to the problem. The only viable solution is to ensure the air is humid rather than dry.

“A sore throat can be caused by a number of factors. These factors can include the common cold; throat irritation as a result of low humidity; smoking; air pollution; yelling; nasal drainage down the back of the throat; or even breathing through the mouth when you have allergies or stuffy nose,” said Philip L. Accardo, DO, as osteopathic physician from Lee’s Summit, Mo. The amount of moisture vapor in the air is defined as “humidity”, and it varies depending on a number of different factors . for instance, indoor air tends to be less humid during the winter, as it’s unable to hold as much moisture. As the warm air expands, it becomes less dense, at which point it loses some of its moisture. The dry air will then attempt to absorb moisture from anything to which it is exposed, including people.

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No. 3: Viral Sore Throat
A viral sore throat is a sore throat caused by a virus. There are a lot of viruses that have the potential to cause a sore throat, which includes, flu virus, common cold viruses, Coxsackievirus, which causes a very painful infection called herpangina, infectious mononucleosis (“mono”) virus. It is often hard to tell whether a sore throat with trouble swallowing. The main symptom of viral sore throat (strep throat) is severe sore throat with trouble swallowing. Other possible symptoms of strep throat are fever, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, white spots on the tonsils, and sometimes headache. On the other hand, sneezing, a runny nose, and nasal congestion are common symptoms of infections by a virus, including those that causes sore throats.

To diagnose a viral sore throat, your health care provider will review your symptoms and examine you. He or she may also take a throat swab to check for strep throat. Many offices and clinics now have very accurate rapid throat swab tests that allow diagnosis of strep within a few minutes or a few hours. If your provider suspects mononucleosis, a blood test may also be done.