Pharyngitis Dubai | 30 September 2021
A sore throat, also called a throat infection or pharyngitis, is a painful inflammation of the back part of the throat (pharynx). Pharyngitis can involve some or all of these parts of the throat:
– the back third of the tongue
– the soft palate (roof of the mouth)
– the tonsils (fleshy tissue that are part of the throat’s immune defenses).
The most common cause of sore throat is infection with bacteria or a virus. Because an infection of the pharynx almost always involves the tonsils, tonsillitis (inflammation of the tonsils) was once a common name for infectious pharyngitis.
About 90 percent of throat infections are caused by a virus. Although people who have the flu (influenza), cold sores (oral herpes simplex) or infectious mononucleosis (“mono”) also commonly have a sore throat, these viral infections usually cause other telltale symptoms in addition to throat pain.
In regions that have warm summers and cool winters, viral pharyngitis typically peaks during the winter and early spring. This is a time when people are more likely to gather in poorly ventilated rooms. The viruses that cause pharyngitis spread easily.
The viruses can spread through the air by hanging on to droplets from coughs and sneezes. They stick to unwashed hands that have been exposed to fluids from a sick person’s nose or mouth.
In most people who are otherwise healthy, simple viral pharyngitis doesn’t last long, goes away on its own and does not causes any long-term complications, although the short-term discomfort can be significant.
Contact Dr. Barbara Karin Vela if you develop a sore throat that does not go away after several days or if you have a high fever, swollen lymph nodes in your neck, or a rash. Always seek medical care right away if you have Pharyngitis and trouble breathing.
Dr Barbara Karin Vela is an International Member of Royal College Of General Practitioners, UK
Pharyngitis Dubai | 30 September 2021