If you have close contact with someone who has a sore throat or cold, you may get affected by it. It occurs usually in cold and flu seasons. When someone sneezes or coughs, bacteria or virus spread in the air and you may breathe it. Sometimes you can transfer the organisms to your mouth or nose by touching a surface with germs on them.
A sore throat may also occur due to bacterial infections e.g. Streptococcus pyogenes. Whooping cough and diphtheria cause it, too. For details, see - Strep Throat
A sore throat may be caused by yeast Candida in people with suppressed immune systems.
Medications and Medical Treatments
Some medications may produce it. Certain medical treatments such as tonsillectomy, airway management during an operation, or cancer treatment with chemotherapy or radiation may cause it.
Viruses, bacteria, fungi, and irritants are responsible for a sore throat.
Viruses
A sore throat is usually caused by viruses that cause the common cold and flu/influenza. The most common viruses are adenoviruses, of which there are about 32 serotypes. Endemic adenovirus infection causes a common sore throat, in which the oropharynx and soft palate are reddened and the tonsils are inflamed and swollen. Within 1–2 days the tonsillar lymph nodes enlarge. Occasionally, localized epidemics due to adenovirus serotype 8 occur, particularly in schools during summer, with episodes of fever, conjunctivitis, pharyngitis, and lymphadenitis of the neck glands. The disease is self-limiting and only requires symptomatic treatment without antibiotics. A viral infection called mononucleosis may cause a severe sore throat.
Other viruses are- measles, chickenpox, mumps, herpangina, orthomyxoviridae, coronavirus, respiratory syncytial virus, parainfluenza virus, herpes simplex virus etc.
How Do You Get a Sore Throat
Bacteria
A sore throat may also occur due to bacterial infections e.g. Streptococcus pyogenes. Whooping cough and diphtheria cause it, too. For details, see - Strep Throat
Fungi
A sore throat may be caused by yeast Candida in people with suppressed immune systems.
Some medications may produce it. Certain medical treatments such as tonsillectomy, airway management during an operation, or cancer treatment with chemotherapy or radiation may cause it.
Irritants
Mechanical, chemical and thermal irritation may also be the other causes of a sore throat. In this case, it may last longer than a week. Example of the irritants are-
- Cold air or low humidity
- Inhaled toxins such as cigarette smoke
- Air pollution
- Nasal drainage down the back of the throat (postnasal drip)
- Yelling
- Acid reflux
You may have a sore throat if you breathe through your mouth due to allergies or a stuffy nose.
Sometimes it may occur if you have a condition called chronic fatigue syndrome that causes extreme tiredness.
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