Also called: Pharyngitis
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.
You can have a sore throat for many reasons. Often, colds and flu cause sore throats. Other causes can include:
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.
Also called: Strep
Strep is short for Streptococcus, a type of bacteria. There are two types: group A and group B.
Group A strep causes
- Strep throat – a sore, red throat. Your tonsils may be swollen and have white spots on them.
- Scarlet fever – an illness that follows strep throat. It causes a red rash on the body.
- Impetigo – a skin infection
- Toxic shock syndrome
- Cellulitis and necrotizing fasciitis (flesh-eating disease)
Group B strep can cause blood infections, pneumonia and meningitis in newborns. A screening test during pregnancy can tell if you have it. If you do, I.V. antibiotics during labor can save your baby’s life. Adults can also get group B strep infections, especially if they are elderly or already have health problems. Strep B can cause urinary tract infections, blood infections, skin infections and pneumonia in adults.
Antibiotics are used to treat strep infections.
NIH: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases