Throat; Since it is a junction area, viruses and bacteria that come through the air or through direct contact with food are first captured by the lymph tissues here and symptoms occur. Apart from this, throat symptoms, especially allergic and viral diseases that cause nasal congestion, cause postnasal drip, irritate the throat, and also dry the throat due to the air taken through the mouth due to nasal congestion, are also added to the symptoms of nasal congestion. Burning in the throat as a result of stomach acid irritating the throat due to gastric reflux. Symptoms such as pain, cough and tingling occur.
As a result of increased air pollution in the winter months, the polluted air inhaled can irritate the throat and increase complaints of sore throat, just like cigarettes.
When evaluating the complaint of sore throat, we also check the accompanying symptoms. For example, fever, weakness, cough, fatigue, sweating, runny nose, nasal congestion, sneezing, hoarseness, difficulty in swallowing and phlegm should be evaluated together with sore throat.
The most important causes of sore throat are viral and bacterial causes. The most common ones are viral causes. Among the viruses, the most common viruses are Influenza, Rhino virus, Adenovirus, parainfluenza, herpes, Coronavirus, Epstain bar virus and coxsackie. Among the bacteria, streptococci are frequently seen. is a factor.
Viral-bacterial distinction can be made based on the initial form of sore throat, accompanying symptoms, general condition of the patient and examination. Empirical treatment can be started immediately. A definitive diagnosis can be reached by blood tests and various tests in people and children where the distinction cannot be made. Many people fear that the symptoms of the disease will progress and become worse as soon as they begin, and they use many traditional and complementary practices to prevent this. Diseases generally begin with runny nose, nasal congestion and watery eyes, that is, rhinitis, then pharyngitis occurs with the addition of sore throat and difficulty in swallowing, then laryngitis occurs with the addition of hoarseness, and finally bronchitis occurs with the addition of a dry or phlegmy cough.
As a result, since the airway starts from the nose and continues to the lungs, symptoms can occur in all places affecting the airway.
Prof. dr. Yavuz Selim Yıldırım talked about how to treat sore throat;
Since viral diseases are mostly seen, I will first talk about the treatment of viral sore throat. Starting antibiotics in viral infections may damage the throat flora affected by viruses, and by giving antibiotics, the healthy cells there will be damaged and may cause the disease to prolong. In other words, using antibiotics unnecessarily may cause the throat to worsen rather than heal and cause additional diseases to occur. For this reason, it is necessary to Unless the doctor examining you prescribes antibiotics, you should not insist on asking for antibiotics.
Antibiotics only work in throat infections caused by bacteria and speed up healing.
In throat infections due to viral causes, the back wall of the throat appears dotted, swollen and red. These rashes cause problems by causing the throat to dry out, tingling and pain while eating, drinking and talking. In other words, when the back wall of the throat is irritated due to viral causes, care should be taken to drink plenty of fluids to prevent the throat from drying out and be careful throughout the day. At least 1.5-2 liters of liquid should be consumed during the period. Drinks such as slightly warm tea and linden will also soothe the throat. Honey lozenges, which have the ability to stick to that area, especially in people whose back wall of the throat is irritated, honey throat spray, honey foods and drinks will cover the reddened area. - Provides significant relief from sore throat by protecting and preventing this area from drying out. Oily and sticky foods such as tahini-molasses and olive oil, which have the ability to stick to the throat, accelerate healing by keeping the throat moist.
In cases where the throat mucosa is irritated due to viruses, it is especially important not to consume foods and drinks such as vinegar, lemon, hot, spicy and ginger that harm the throat! Because lemon is acidic, it causes a little more irritation of the throat mucosa and prolongs healing. Likewise, vinegar, salt, cayenne and spices can increase irritation of the throat mucosa, delay healing and worsen the patient's symptoms. In microbial infections, that is, throat infections caused by bacteria, vinegar, salty - herbal waters and throat sprays contribute to healing by accelerating the killing of bacteria in the throat.
As a result, Prof. Dr. Yavuz Selim Yıldırım said, "Since the cause of every sore throat is not the same; hHe said that antibiotics should not be used. Abundant fluid intake should be ensured, and healing can be accelerated by supporting the treatment of accompanying symptoms, such as antipyretic painkillers. Ensuring nasal opening for those with nasal congestion allows breathing through the nose, preventing the throat from drying out and accelerating healing. And again, throat pain can be cured by treating acid that irritates the throat, such as reflux, and tobacco products such as hookah and cigarettes should be avoided. You can use throat spray or lozenge with honey or propolis.
