SORE THROAT

A sore throat causes pain when swallowing. If a sore throat is accompanied by a cold, muscle ache and coughing it is usually caused by a virus. There is no medicine against the virus. When a sore throat is accompanied by swallowing difficulties and high fever, it could be an infection of the throat or tonsils. Swollen glands may then be felt in the neck.

Doctors no longer automatically give antibiotics during the first week of the illness because most sore throats are due to viruses. Even if bacteria are the cause most sore throats are cured by the person's own defences. The exceptions include people with immunity problems, with a very high fever or who start to develop a tonsil abscess.

CHILDREN
Healthy children's tonsils are nearly always large. Normally they are pink just like the inside of the mouth, but when infected they are bright red. Often small yellow spots are then visible.

SELF-CARE

What you can do yourself

Sore throats are best soothed by hot gargles of salty water or hot soluble aspirin or paracetamol solution (do not use aspirins for children under 16 years of age).

Use three 300mg soluble aspirin tablets or two 500mg dispersible paracetamol tablets in half a mug (150mls) of warm water.

  Take a mouth full of gargling solution. Hold it inside the mouth and breathe in through the nose.

  Gargle out as slowly as possible.

  At the end of the gargle breathe through the nose once again.

  Repeat this at least three times with each mouthful before
spitting out the gargling solution.

  Repeat gargling with four or five mouthfuls until all the solution is used.

CHILDREN

Children as young as three years of age can be taught to gargle. They can gargle with a flavoured paracetamol solution (do not use aspirin for children under 16 years of age). Babies and children who are unable to gargle require regular dosing with paracetamol for pain relief.

Contact your doctor

  If swallowing becomes difficult as well as painful.

  If the problems go on longer than three days and you have a persistent fever over 38.5 degrees C (101 degrees F).

Contact your doctor immediately

  If sore throat is one-sided and very painful when swallowing

CHILDREN

  If the child has breathing problems.

  If the child cannot drink or swallow.

  If the child is unable to swallow its saliva.

  If the child has a neck pain and a high fever.

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