Undoubtedly, you’ve experienced a sore throat before. All sore throats occur due to inflammation in the throat, but there are actually three subtypes of sore throat, and they’re sorted according to which part of the throat is experiencing inflammation. The subtypes are pharyngitis, laryngitis and tonsillitis, and they affect the pharynx, the larynx and the tonsils, respectively.
Pharyngitis
Pharyngitis is inflammation of the pharynx, the muscular tube we generally call the throat. Unlike laryngitis and tonsillitis, which both involve inflammation of a smaller component of the throat, pharyngitis is inflammation of the throat’s tissue itself.
Symptoms
In addition to the distinctive scratchy, raspy feeling at the back of your throat, pharyngitis is also characterized by difficulty swallowing, raspy breathing, coughing, redness in the throat and mouth or a fever if it’s tied to an infection.
Causes
The vast majority of cases of pharyngitis—about 50% to 80%—are caused by a virus or viral infection, such as the common cold, the flu or COVID. Bacterial infections, such as strep throat or a sinus infection, may also cause pharyngitis. Irritants in the throat—such as cigarette smoke, air pollution or an allergen to which you have a sensitivity—or dry air can dehydrate the throat and cause inflammation, as well.
Laryngitis
Like pharyngitis, laryngitis can be caused by a virus. However, in the case of laryngitis, the inflammation occurs just in the larynx, or the voice box. The voice box is a hollow tube at the bottom of the pharynx and houses the vocal cords and epiglottis. It is the main organ involved in creating your voice when you speak.
Symptoms
Since the larynx is involved in vocalization and speaking, most of the symptoms of laryngitis are related to your voice. The main symptoms are hoarseness or loss of voice, a change in the sound of your voice, dry coughing and the sensation of a lump in your throat, in addition to the scratchy sore throat feeling.
Causes
Many of the same things that cause pharyngitis can also cause laryngitis: a virus, a bacterial infection or an irritant. The difference is that the virus, bacterial infection or irritant is present in the voice box instead of the throat. Additionally, laryngitis is often caused by overusing or straining your voice. If you have a sore throat after a long day of speaking, singing or yelling, that’s probably laryngitis.
Tonsillitis
Your tonsils are two oval-shaped nodes located at the top of the throat, one on each side. They are part of the immune system and contain an army of white blood cells to fight infection or other foreign invaders that might enter the body through the mouth or nose and affect the throat.
Symptoms
Like pharyngitis and laryngitis, you’ll experience a sore or scratchy throat. Looking at them in a mirror, you’ll notice that the tonsils are enlarged and dark red. They may even have white spots. Tonsillitis is frequently accompanied by a fever, and children with tonsillitis may experience nausea and vomiting.
Causes
Tonsillitis occurs when the tonsils become infected. Despite being part of the immune system, the tonsils are not immune to infection. In fact, they’re susceptible to infection because they come in contact with germs so frequently. Tonsillitis itself is not contagious, but the viruses and bacteria that cause it are.
When to See a Doctor
Sore throats generally resolve themselves with little to no medical intervention. You can find at-home relief by taking anti-inflammatory medications or using cough drops or cough syrup. If symptoms worsen, such as your fever reaches 101°, the pain becomes too intense to ignore or if your sore throat lasts longer than a week, it may be time to see a doctor. Call Spartanburg-Greer ENT & Allergy today, and we can diagnose and provide treatment for your sore throat so you can find relief.