Dr. R Guruswamy

Virus is the most common cause of pain in the throat or sore throat and it is often accompanied by cold symptoms like running nose, red watery eyes, cough and sneezing. Smoking, irritants in the air and pollution are the main causes of sore throat. It becomes very difficult to swallow food in such a condition when an individual experiences pain, itchiness or irritation in their throat.

Causes
The main causes of occurrence of sore throat include:

• Leukemia in exceptional cases
• Measles
• Sinusitis
• Diphtheria
• Mumps
• Bacterial as well as Viral Infection as in Common Cold
• Influenza
• Smoking

Symptoms of Sore Throat:

• The Nasal passages get blocked
• Inability to gulp down food
• Severe pain in the throat which is followed by coughing
• Lymph glands get swollen
• Fever is followed by Chills

When to Visit the Doctor
It is very important to visit your doctor, if the pain in the throat lasts for longer time and it is accompanied by symptoms like joint pain, difficulty in breathing and fever. The primary symptom of sore throat is pain in the throat and other symptoms like hoarseness and white patches on the tonsils also occur under this condition. People of all age groups can get affected with this condition, but it affects mostly children and smokers. People with weak immune system and suffering from allergies are also prone to pain in the throat. If you wish to discuss about any specific problem, you can consult an Ent Specialist.