Sore throat resident survival guide

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Synonyms and keywords:

Overview

Sore throat is one of the most common complaints among patients visiting their primary care physicians. In the United States, approximately 12 million ambulatory care visits are due to sore throat annually. It mostly occurs in children and adolescents. The etiology is mostly acute self- limiting viral infection. Group A streptococcal infection is the most common causative bacteria for acute pharyngitis in adults. As a physician, it is important to identify clinical signs for life-threatening airway obstruction and deep tissue infection and treat them promptly. This section provides a short and straight to the point overview of the sore throat in adults.

Causes

Life Threatening Causes

Life-threatening causes include conditions that may result in death or permanent disability within 24 hours if left untreated.

• Does not include any known cause.

Common Causes

• Viral upper respiratory tract infection (Adenovirus, rhinovirus, coronavirus, enterovirus, influenza A and B, parainfluenza virus, respiratory syncytial virus, and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2).
• Group A streptococcal (GAS) infection
• Group C and G Streptococcus infection
• Arcanobacterium haemolyticum
• Fusobacterium necrophorum
• Mycoplasma and Chlamydia species
• Corynebacterium diphtheriae
• Acute HIV infection
• Neisseria gonorrhoeae
• Epstein-Barr virus and other herpes viruses cytomegalovirus (CMV) and herpes simplex virus (HSV)
• allergic rhinitis, sinusitis
• gastroesophageal reflux disease
• smoking
• inhalation of dry air (particularly in winters)
• Vocal strain
• Medications: Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, chemotherapeutic drugs

Diagnosis

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Treatment

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Do's

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Don'ts

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