Pharyngitis
Inflammation of the back of the throat / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Pharyngitis is inflammation of the back of the throat, known as the pharynx.[2] It typically results in a sore throat and fever.[2] Other symptoms may include a runny nose, cough, headache, difficulty swallowing, swollen lymph nodes, and a hoarse voice.[1][6] Symptoms usually last 3–5 days, but can be longer depending on cause.[2][3] Complications can include sinusitis and acute otitis media.[2] Pharyngitis is a type of upper respiratory tract infection.[7]
Pharyngitis | |
---|---|
Other names | Acute sore throat |
Viral pharyngitis resulting in visible redness. | |
Pronunciation | |
Specialty | Infectious disease |
Symptoms | Sore throat, fever, runny nose, cough, headache, hoarse voice[1][2] |
Complications | Sinusitis, acute otitis media[2] |
Duration | 3–10 days, depending on cause[2][3] |
Causes | Usually viral infection[2] |
Diagnostic method | Based on symptoms, rapid antigen detection test, throat swab[2] |
Differential diagnosis | Epiglottitis, thyroiditis, retropharyngeal abscess[2] |
Treatment | lidocaine[2][4] |
Frequency | ~7.5% of people in any 3-month period[5] |
Most cases are caused by a viral infection.[2] Strep throat, a bacterial infection, is the cause in about 25% of children and 10% of adults.[2] Uncommon causes include other bacteria such as gonococcus, fungi, irritants such as smoke, allergies, and gastroesophageal reflux disease.[2][4] Specific testing is not recommended in people who have clear symptoms of a viral infection, such as a cold.[2] Otherwise, a rapid antigen detection test or throat swab is recommended.[2] PCR testing has become common as it is as good as taking a throat swab but gives a faster result.[8] Other conditions that can produce similar symptoms include epiglottitis, thyroiditis, retropharyngeal abscess, and occasionally heart disease.[2]
NSAIDs, such as ibuprofen, can be used to help with the pain.[2] Numbing medication, such as topical lidocaine, may also help.[4] Strep throat is typically treated with antibiotics, such as either penicillin or amoxicillin.[2] It is unclear whether steroids are useful in acute pharyngitis, other than possibly in severe cases, but a recent (2020) review found that when used in combination with antibiotics they moderately improved pain and the likelihood of resolution.[9][10]
About 7.5% of people have a sore throat in any 3-month period.[5] Two or three episodes in a year are not uncommon.[1] This resulted in 15 million physician visits in the United States in 2007.[4] Pharyngitis is the most common cause of a sore throat.[11] The word comes from the Greek word pharynx meaning "throat" and the suffix -itis meaning "inflammation".[12][13]