Sore Throats

Causes

Causes of a sore throat can be infectious (passed on to other people) or non-infectious³. An infectious sore throat is usually caused by a viral infection, such as a cold or flu^1,3.

It may also be caused by a bacterial infection (strep throat), which needs antibiotics, but this is less common¹. Here are some non-infectious causes of a sore throat^1,3:

• Hay fever
• Smoking
• Injury e.g., from a tube during an operation
• Side effects from some medicines
• Allergies
• Mucous from a runny nose dripping into your throat (post-nasal drip)
• Irritation, e.g., breathing in dry air
• Indigestion
• Something stuck in your throat
• An inflamed thyroid gland
• Referred pain from your teeth

Symptoms you might experience¹

• Dry, scratchy feeling in your throat
• Pain when you swallow
• Swollen glands in your neck
• Swollen, red tonsils
• White spots in your throat
• Nausea, vomiting and stomach pain in young children.

A sore throat may also be a sign of something more serious, so it is important to tell your healthcare provider how long it has been sore¹. Also tell them if you have any of these additional symptoms¹:

• Earache
• Very high temperature
• Difficulty swallowing

If you are drooling or having trouble breathing, seek medical care urgently, as the back of your throat may be swelling¹.

Treatment

When treating a sore throat, the focus is to relieve the symptoms, especially pain³: Oranix spray or rinse has antiseptic properties to combat infection causing organisms and provides effective relief by soothing and reducing the inflammation that causes pain associated with a sore throat.