What if your throat hurts

It could also be due to smoking, in which case the solution is simple QUIT. If a lone sore throat lingers longer than a week, however, you should contact your physician. And if you develop any other symptoms — even milder symptoms you typically associate with a common cold — you should contact your physician or get tested for COVID The common cold and the virus that causes COVID are both the same type of virus — called a coronavirus — and can cause similar symptoms.

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Cochrane Database Syst Rev. Common colds: relief for a stuffy nose, cough and sore throat. Updated October 5, Corticosteroids for treatment of sore throat: systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised trials. Van Schoor J. Colds, flu and coughing: over-the-counter products for pharyngitis and tonsillitis.

S Afr Fam Pract. J Altern Complementary Med. Chinese medicinal herbs for sore throat. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When and how to wash your hands. Reviewed June 10, Lifestyle intervention in gastroesophageal reflux disease. Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. James C, Bernstein DI. Allergen immunotherapy: an updated review of safety. Curr Opin Allergy Clin Immunol. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for VerywellHealth.

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I Accept Show Purposes. Table of Contents View All. Table of Contents. When to See a Doctor. A Look at Acid Reflux. Recap Sore throat can have many causes.

Recap Many sore throats can be treated at home. How Strep Throat Is Diagnosed. Recap Throat pain can be diagnosed a number of different ways. Recap Some sore throat treatments address the cause of the pain. Recap Many sore throats can be prevented. Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Sign Up. What are your concerns? Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles.

Read our editorial process to learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy. Related Articles. Antibiotic Prescribing and Use. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. Sore Throat. Minus Related Pages. Most sore throats, except for strep throat, do not need antibiotics.

On This Page. The most common type of sore throat is caused by a virus and is not strep throat. Only 3 in 10 children with a sore throat have strep throat. Only about 1 in 10 adults with a sore throat has strep throat. Close A healthy throat and a sore throat, including uvula and tongue, showing inflamed tonsils. When to Seek Medical Care See a doctor if you or your child have symptoms of strep throat.

Also see a doctor if you or your child have any of the following: Difficulty breathing Difficulty swallowing Blood in saliva or phlegm Excessive drooling in young children Dehydration Joint swelling and pain Rash This list is not all-inclusive.

Treatment A doctor will determine what type of illness you have by asking about symptoms and doing a physical examination. Over-the-Counter Medicine and Children Be careful about giving over-the-counter medicines to children. Wash your hands regularly. Avoid touching your eyes or mouth. Cover your mouth when coughing or sneezing. If your sore throat is cause by the flu, your doctor may prescribe antiviral medicine.

Most sore throats caused by a cold or flu-type virus go away in a week to 10 days. If your sore throat is caused by bacteria, your doctor will prescribe an antibiotic. You will feel better in a few days. It is important to take all of your antibiotics. This reduces the risk that your sore throat will return. Symptoms caused by mono can last for 4 weeks or more. The treatment for mono is rest and reduced exercise. If a sore throat is caused by allergies, your doctor may talk to you about allergy triggers.

He or she may recommend medicine for the allergy. If your sore throat is caused by tonsillitis, you may need an operation. This is called a tonsillectomy. The surgery removes your tonsils. You might need surgery if you get severe tonsillitis often. You may need surgery if your tonsils are too big. This article was contributed by: familydoctor. This information provides a general overview and may not apply to everyone. Talk to your family doctor to find out if this information applies to you and to get more information on this subject.

A peritonsillar abscess is a puss-filled sore near the back of your throat and tonsils.