A sore throat, although not a disease, is sometimes no less annoying than attacks of a barking cough. Dryness and constant discomfort in the throat distract, prevent normal communication and interfere with restful sleep at night. Many simply ignore the problem, patiently waiting for it to go away on its own. Others are wondering how to treat a sore throat - because often it is not accompanied by other signs of acute respiratory infections.
Main reasons
Like a cough, a sore throat is just a symptom. From a physiological point of view, this is the body's response to irritation of the mucous membranes lining the larynx. It is not strong enough to cause a coughing fit, but the negative effects of irritants are enough to make a person feel discomfort. The reasons for the sore throat can be external and internal, infectious and non-infectious.
Not always, when a sore throat is sore, it means that you have a respiratory infection. Although in 90% of cases this happens, but literally in a few hours, if urgent and sufficiently effective measures to prevent the disease were not taken, a cough begins, the temperature rises, snot and other characteristic symptoms appear.
Worse, when constantly for several days, or even weeks, a sore throat and want to cough - how to treat irritation depends solely on the cause that caused it. And sometimes it is very difficult to define it. The most common ones may be:
- Physical or chemical irritation: food that is too spicy, hot, acidic; pungent odors; ammonia and other chemical fumes; smoke, including tobacco; gassed and dusty air. Such external causes are easily identified and special treatment is not required in this case. It is enough to drink water and eliminate the influence of the irritant. After a while, the mucous membranes will calm down, and the discomfort in the throat will disappear.
- Mild allergic reactions. With severe allergies, the symptoms appear very clearly: swelling of the mucous membranes, profuse discharge of liquid mucus, paroxysmal cough. If the exposure to the allergen is long-term, but very weak, then the mucous membranes are constantly irritated and atrophy over time. Dryness, persistent sore throat and crusting in the nose appear. The danger of the situation is that while the true cause of perspiration is found out and the allergen is found, chronic rhinitis, pharyngitis and even bronchial asthma often develop.
- Occupational diseases. It is found not only among those who work in hazardous conditions and hot workshops. Constant tickling is typical for announcers, teachers, educators, even many working actors and singers. With a strong exacerbation, when perspiration turns into a paroxysmal cough, accompanied by severe sore throat, he needs, first of all, complete rest and treatment that can quickly restore mucous membranes.
- Malfunctions of the endocrine system. In particular, with a lack of estrogen or dysfunction of the thyroid gland, dryness of the mucous membranes often occurs, due to which the throat is constantly sore. Usually, in this case, there are characteristic symptoms: changes in weight, the appearance of neoplasms, etc. An endocrinologist or an experienced gynecologist will help to cope with the problem.
Reflux disease, the first symptom of which is commonplace heartburn. When the reflux valve does not close, part of the contents of the stomach is thrown into the esophagus (especially when overeating!). The mucous membranes are irritated, there is an unpleasant burning sensation and perspiration. A common symptom of reflux is persistent sour breath. Diet and the appointment of a gastroenterologist will help improve the situation. In some cases, the only option is surgery.- Damage to the nerve endings. A serious symptom that manifests itself not only with soreness, but also with other signs: loss of sensitivity of the mucous membranes, spasms, varying intensity of pain. This happens with some cancers, progressive syphilis, disorders and dysfunctions of the central nervous system, which can only be cured by neurologists, oncologists or neurosurgeons.
Reflux disease, the first symptom of which is commonplace heartburn. When the reflux valve does not close, part of the contents of the stomach is thrown into the esophagus (especially when overeating!). The mucous membranes are irritated, there is an unpleasant burning sensation and perspiration. A common symptom of reflux is persistent sour breath. Diet and the appointment of a gastroenterologist will help improve the situation. In some cases, the only option is surgery.Children can also have a sore throat for very harmless reasons: they screamed, swallowed cold air or water, inhaled dust or small crumbs. Here you just need to be very attentive to the well-being of the baby.
If the perspiration has gone away within the next hours by itself, then there is no reason for concern. When it continues to intensify, or the first symptoms of colds and acute respiratory infections appear, an urgent need to take action.
How to treat
Basically, the remedies for a sore throat caused by an infection or irritation of the laryngeal mucosa are the same as for a dry cough. Moreover, it is completely optional to swallow the pills right away. Pharmaceutical drugs give a stronger effect, but in most cases it is possible to get rid of the unpleasant symptom with the help of traditional alternative methods of treatment:
Warm drink. Herbal or green tea with honey perfectly moisturizes the mucous throats and helps to relieve the onset of inflammation. Among medicinal herbs for perspiration, it is better to choose: chamomile, mint, lemon balm, oregano, coltsfoot, sage, thyme. If you have severe sore throat or dry cough, you should not add lemon to tea - this will irritate the throat. But a spoonful of quality honey will not hurt.- Gargling. Perfectly eliminates dryness and soreness by rinsing the throat with a soda solution (1 tsp per glass of water). You can warm up the Borjomi mineral water or use pharmaceutical antiseptic preparations: solutions of furacillin, potassium permanganate, chlorophyllipt. It is necessary to gargle the throat often - at least 5-6 times a day until the unpleasant symptoms disappear completely, and then it can be treated with topical preparations.
- Throat sprays. They are topical preparations, so many of them can be used even during pregnancy. An excellent antiseptic is "Geksoral", but it does not have a softening effect. A good remedy for perspiration is the Hapilor oral spray, which also has an anti-inflammatory effect. In case of suspicion of acute respiratory infections or acute respiratory viral infections, it is better to apply Ingalipt, Ingakamf, Kameton.
- Absorbable tablets and lozenges. They also apply to topical preparations. For adults, tablets "Faringosept", "Septefril", "Septolette" and others are effective. Tablets for sore throat should be kept under the tongue until they are completely absorbed. For children, such a convenient form as a lozenge is produced. It tastes like ordinary candy, but a child cannot quickly eat it. These lozenges come in a variety of flavors and are available from several manufacturers. Here are the most popular of them: Doctor IOM, Prospan, Bronchikum, etc.
- Inhalation. An excellent remedy not only for colds and acute respiratory infections, but also for allergic cough and sore throat. We are talking about steam inhalation, which moisturizes the mucous membranes of the larynx, expands the bronchi, relieves inflammation and makes breathing easier. For inhalation, it is better to use a soda solution or a decoction of eucalyptus, pine buds, mint, essential oils of coniferous trees dissolved in water: cedar, thuja, fir. With severe perspiration, you can do up to 2 inhalations a day for 7-10 minutes.
Warm drink. Herbal or green tea with honey perfectly moisturizes the mucous throats and helps to relieve the onset of inflammation. Among medicinal herbs for perspiration, it is better to choose: chamomile, mint, lemon balm, oregano, coltsfoot, sage, thyme. If you have severe sore throat or dry cough, you should not add lemon to tea - this will irritate the throat. But a spoonful of quality honey will not hurt.Antibiotics are usually not prescribed at the stage of a sore throat.... Much more effective and safe is the use of antiviral and immunomodulatory drugs, as well as absorbable tablets for cough and sore throat. Only a doctor can objectively assess the need for antibiotics in each specific case on the basis of laboratory tests.
In no case should you drink antibiotics on your own with a sore throat. There are at least two serious reasons for this. Firstly, they may simply not work if the cause is non-infectious or a fungus has settled in the throat. And secondly, with the wrong choice of the drug or taking it, the microbes will still survive, but they will have time to adapt, and another time the drug will be ineffective in a more dangerous situation.
With the non-infectious causes of perspiration listed above, treatment of the underlying disease is necessary, which can only be diagnosed by a doctor based on the results of the examination.
Therefore, if you cannot cope with sore throat on your own with the help of folk remedies or topical preparations within 2-3 weeks, be sure to contact a specialist.
Whatever the reason for the sore throat, until it completely goes away, it is better to adhere to a sparing diet that excludes too spicy, salty and spicy foods, carbonated drinks, alcohol, vinegar. Food and drink should be warm - between room temperature and 50-60OC. Crackers, nuts, seeds and other solid foods that can irritate the larynx are also best removed from the diet for now.
Prevention measures
Preventive measures are simple but effective. First of all, this is an increase in immunity. Regular walks in the fresh air, moderate physical activity at least 2-3 times a week and hardening procedures will allow you to quickly get rid of a sore throat caused by a cold or hypothermia.
Additional measures will help avoid discomfort and sore throat caused by non-infectious causes:
maintaining moderate air humidity in residential and work premises;- regular wet cleaning, in which dust is erased from vertical surfaces too;
- moderate use of household chemicals and their storage in separate, tightly closed lockers;
- airing rooms at least 2 times a day at any time of the year;
- quitting bad habits, especially smoking, which leads to atrophy of the mucous membranes;
- good quality nutrition, rich in vitamins and minerals.
maintaining moderate air humidity in residential and work premises;No less important is the timely appeal to specialists, since the development of many diseases, one of the first symptoms of which is prolonged sore throat, can be avoided and even completely cured. Therefore, do not ignore the discomfort in the throat.
