Pharyngitis (sore throat)

For a lay person:

Pharyngitis is inflammation of the back of the throat, causing a sore or scratchy throat and pain when swallowing. Acute pharyngitis is usually caused by a virus and clears within a week, while chronic pharyngitis is a long-lasting irritated throat linked to smoking, acid reflux or mouth breathing.

For a trained medical person:

Acute pharyngitis is mostly viral, with group A streptococcus the main bacterial cause; clinical scores (Centor or FeverPAIN) and rapid antigen testing guide antibiotic use. Chronic pharyngitis is associated with smoking, reflux, postnasal drip and irritants. Management is analgesia and fluids, penicillin for confirmed or likely streptococcal infection, and treating underlying causes in chronic disease.

In Chinese medicine:

Liu and Tseng's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Acute Pharyngitis Mild Case; Severe Case; Chronic Pharyngitis Chronic Simple Pharyngitis; Chronic Hypertrophic Pharyngitis; Chronic Atrophic Pharyngitis. Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.

When to get help: Seek urgent care for difficulty breathing, drooling, inability to swallow, a muffled voice or severe one-sided throat pain. See a doctor for a sore throat lasting more than two weeks or with a lump in the neck.