Sore throat

If you woke up in the morning with a sore throat, but without the temperature and in all other respects feeling fine, your room was probably excessively dry and overheated. But if the throat continues to hurt during the day, then the cause may be in something else. What is it and what to do? Wait a day or two. If it is a random viral infection, it will pass by itself. But if you have a small temperature and sensitive, swollen lymph glands around your neck - call a doctor. He can prescribe an antibiotic even over the phone. If he knows that you are suffering from another serious illness, like diabetes, chronic bronchitis, kidney or heart failure, he will probably want you to come to him. He will look at your throat, remove a swab and send it to the laboratory to see what microorganisms will grow and to what antibiotics they will be sensitive. While waiting for results, he can prescribe an antibiotic.

Calling a doctor or not, when you have a sore throat, depends on several factors.

If you have a fever and sore throat , it is probably a manifestation of some kind of infection. According to statistics, the most likely viral infection (viral pharyngitis ) . If you look at your throat, you will see that it is bright pink, but without plaque or stains.

The most common bacterial infection in children is streptococcal angina . If it is not treated with penicillin, it can cause rheumatic fever, with all the complications on the heart that will manifest later in life. You can recognize the "strep throat" due to the presence of white spots . Doctors have now a set for analysis (I'm sure it will be simplified, so that the patients themselves can use it), which makes it possible to distinguish streptococcal angina from other infections.

Infectious mononucleosis - a viral infection that occurs almost exclusively at a young age - makes swallowing very painful. The throat is very red , but without streptococcal blemishes. Also lymph glands, especially behind the neck, are strongly swollen, they are easy to see and grope. Infectious mononucleosis is a viral infection in which you usually do not need to use antibiotics. One in particular is ampicillin, since it can cause an unpleasant rash.

If a child with a sore throat suddenly has a fever that lasts a couple of days, it's probably a case of tonsillitis . If you look in the throat, you will see enlarged red tonsils covered with a creamy yellow coating. Do not rush to remove the tonsils. This operation is reserved for special cases of persistently resumed tonsillitis, which is relatively rare in our era of antibiotics.

There are several different "malfunctions" that can give you a sore throat at any age. One "pencil", which you can not think about, is the gonococcus, the causative agent of gonorrhea. Oral sex shifts the site of the gonorrhea from the genitals to the throat.

Generations two back could be included in this list of diphtheria . But thanks to vaccinations, she has not been seen for a long time. However, it should be remembered. The diphtheritic throat can be recognized by the presence of a dirty-gray film covering the posterior surface of the throat.

Although most cases of a sore throat are a consequence of an infection, some do not. For example, in elderly people, pain, burning and discomfort can arise from the acid content of the stomach thrown into the esophagus, the type that is observed with the diaphragmatic hernia. Also, if you or your child accidentally and perhaps unconsciously swallowed a fish or chicken bone, it can scratch the throat and make it sensitive.

In general, before you treat the throat should wait for up to 48 hours, even if you have a small temperature. Symptoms usually clear up during this time. If you are still sick, two days later, you need to go to a doctor so that he can see the throat and prescribe an antibiotic. When treating young people, one should remember about infectious mononucleosis, the diagnosis of which can be made within a few minutes with the help of a simple blood test. The child's sore throat at a temperature, swollen glands or bad tonsils requires immediate medical attention so as not to leave streptococcal infection without treatment.

Symptom: sore throat