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Sore Throat
Reviewed by Medicinsk Expert•Last updated: 2026-10-22•Ear Nose Throat

Sore Throat

A sore throat can stem from various conditions, ranging from common viral infections to allergies, and requires treatment tailored to the underlying cause.

Overview

Your throat is a tube that carries food to your esophagus and air to your windpipe and larynx (also called the voice box). The technical name for the throat is pharynx.

Causes

You can have a sore throat for many reasons. Often, colds and flu cause sore throats. Other causes can include:

  • Allergies
  • Mononucleosis
  • Smoking
  • Strep throat
  • Tonsillitis

Treatment and Management

Treatment depends on the cause. Sucking on lozenges, drinking lots of liquids, and gargling may ease the pain. Over-the-counter pain relievers can also help, but children should not take aspirin.

Frequently Asked Questions

You should seek urgent care if you experience difficulty breathing, drooling due to an inability to swallow, a stiff neck, or a high fever that does not respond to medication. These symptoms may indicate a severe infection like a peritonsillar abscess or epiglottitis, which require immediate professional intervention to prevent airway obstruction or systemic spread.
While only a rapid strep test or throat culture can provide a definitive diagnosis, strep throat often presents with a sudden onset of pain, white patches or pus on the tonsils, and swollen tender lymph nodes in the neck, typically without a cough or runny nose. Viral sore throats are more likely to be accompanied by cold symptoms such as sneezing, coughing, and a runny nose, and the pain usually develops more gradually.
sore throat lasting longer than two weeks without an obvious cause warrants medical evaluation to rule out chronic conditions such as acid reflux (GERD), post-nasal drip, or, in rare cases, head and neck cancers. Ignoring persistent symptoms can lead to complications like peritonsillar abscesses if the initial infection was bacterial, or delayed diagnosis of underlying structural or malignant issues.
Gargling with warm salt water (half a teaspoon of salt in a cup of warm water) is highly effective because it helps reduce swelling and clears mucus. Additionally, staying hydrated with warm liquids like tea with honey can soothe irritated tissues, while cold options like ice chips or popsicles can numb the area. Avoiding acidic or spicy foods is also crucial to prevent further irritation of the inflamed mucosa.
Source: MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine

MedlinePlus brings together authoritative health information from the National Library of Medicine (NLM), the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and other government agencies and health-related organizations.

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