Frequent sore throat

A sore throat is a disease that occurs in the throat. An occasional sore throat may not be taken seriously, as it may be caused by sleeping too late or other reasons. However, if the sore throat occurs frequently, it should be taken seriously, as it may be a problem with the throat or a throat disease. It may also be an early symptom of other diseases, and you should go to the hospital for examination in time. So why do you often have a sore throat?

Sore throat is one of the most common symptoms. It often occurs in the cold season of the year. Colds, tonsillitis, sinusitis, whooping cough, pharyngitis, viral infections and even myocardial infarction can cause sore throat.

Cause: Any substance that irritates the throat and oral mucosa may cause sore throat. They include: viruses, bacterial infections, allergic reactions, dust, cigarettes, exhaust fumes, hot drinks or food. Tooth or gum infections sometimes affect the throat. Chronic coughing, extremely dry environment, gastroesophageal reflux and speaking too loudly can also irritate the throat. Hoarseness is a common accompanying symptom. Common diseases that cause sore throat symptoms include: systemic viral infection, mumps, pharyngitis or tonsillitis, colds, and pharyngitis.

1. Nasopharyngeal inflammation: During the acute inflammation period of the nasopharynx, the patient will have a dry and painful feeling. At the same time, the blood vessels will dilate during the inflammation period, causing the patient to have a slightly bloody nasal discharge when spitting it out.

2. Inflammation of the oropharynx: Symptoms of inflammation in the oropharynx are mostly acute tonsillitis and acute pharyngitis, both of which are often related to colds. When the tonsils are acutely inflamed, the patient will feel sore throat and have moderate or high fever. In severe cases, the tonsils may swell and become purulent.

3. Inflammation of the laryngopharynx: Inflammation of the laryngopharynx is mostly acute epiglottitis and acute laryngitis. Acute epiglottitis is one of the common critical diseases in otolaryngology and head and neck surgery. Most patients feel severe pain in the throat and are even afraid to swallow food. There is a watery sound when they speak. At the same time, there is a feeling of blockage in the throat. Severe cases can lead to breathing difficulties and endanger life. If patients encounter this situation, they must go to the hospital's ENT emergency department as soon as possible. When acute laryngitis occurs, the patient also has throat pain and a foreign body sensation in the throat, but there is an obvious difference from acute epiglottitis. The patient's voice is hoarse and not watery.

4. Non-inflammatory diseases: There are many and complex causes of sore throat, and not all of them are caused by inflammation. Such as glossopharyngeal neuralgia, external stimulation, oral ulcers, etc. can cause throat pain.

(1) The pain caused by glossopharyngeal neuralgia is usually unilateral and severe, with no definite cause. If the symptoms do not improve significantly after taking anti-inflammatory drugs, doctors often recommend using painkillers for trigeminal neuralgia to eliminate the pain.

(2) Pain caused by an elongated styloid process Pain on one side of the pharynx that is more noticeable when swallowing. Unlike glossopharyngeal neuralgia, this pain radiates up and down the same side of the pharynx. Patients need to go to the hospital as soon as possible for an X-ray and confirmed diagnosis.

(3) Oral ulcers caused by vitamin deficiency and other reasons are mostly self-healing diseases and will heal within 7 to 10 days. During the course of the disease, it will cause persistent pain in the throat. Some malignant and long-lasting oral ulcers require active treatment.

5. External stimuli: Certain external stimuli can also cause throat pain. For example, eating too many melon seeds may irritate the throat and cause non-inflammatory pain in the lymphatic tissue. Drinking more water or taking some Chinese medicine to remove heat will improve the condition.

6. Others (1) Tumors such as tonsil tumors, laryngeal cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, etc., do not cause obvious pain in the early stages. By the time patients feel pain and seek medical treatment, the disease has often progressed to the middle or late stages. Therefore, these throat diseases that do not cause pain require more attention. Once you feel an unexplained foreign body sensation in the throat, blood in the nasal discharge, numbness on the face, or a lump with poor mobility below the ear, you should seek medical attention as soon as possible.

(2) If a sore throat occurs during myocardial infarction and there is no clear cause, and it is accompanied by chest tightness, sweating, or nausea, one should be alert to the occurrence of myocardial infarction. This is because the nerves of the throat and heart are controlled by the same segment of spinal nerves. When the myocardium is ischemic and hypoxic, the acidic substances such as lactic acid, pyruvic acid, phosphate and polypeptides produced will stimulate the nerves to produce pain and spread to the vagus nerve in the pharynx, inducing throat pain symptoms. Therefore, elderly people with hypertension and coronary heart disease should be careful when they experience sore throats. It is best to rest in bed, avoid excessive mental stress, take nitroglycerin sublingually, and seek medical attention immediately.