You might not know it, but you might have a sore throat.

You’ve probably experienced a sore throat before, but do you really know what it is?
Here’s an in-depth look at its causes, symptoms, and remedies.

 

What causes a sore throat?

A sore throat’s cause can either be infectious or non-infectious. Infectious causes such as bacterial or viral infections can include the common cold, flu, measles and chickenpox.

 

Non-infectious on the other hand, involves more physio-chemical factors such as smoking, snoring, and shouting. Environmental factors like air pollutants, temperature, humidity, and hazardous irritants are also causes of a sore throat.

 

Five signs you may have a sore throat

There are number of symptoms that can signify if you already have a sore throat.
The following are the five most common signs:

Pain or scratchiness in the throat

One of the most common sore throat symptoms is feeling an irritation in your throat. This often feels like an itch you just want to scratch from inside your throat.

Difficulty swallowing or talking

When swallowing or talking feels unbearable, you most probably have a sore throat.

Having a hoarse or muffled voice

One of the more obvious symptoms is when your voice changes into a rough and hoarse one.

Sore and swollen glands

When the glands in your neck or jaw are swollen and sore, you might already have a sore throat.

Swollen tonsils

This happens when your tonsils are swollen and may also have white patches or pus.

 

IF SYMPTOMS PERSIST, CONSULT YOUR DOCTOR

ASC Ref. Code A132N041219K

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References:
⦁ Bertold Renner, Christian A. Mueller, Adrian Shephard (2012). Environmental and non-infectious factors in the aetiology of pharyngitis (Sore throat)
⦁ https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3439613/
⦁ https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/sore-throat/symptoms-causes/syc-20351635