Causes for Sore Throat:

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Causes for Sore Throat:

Sore throats are normally caused by either a viral or bacterial infection. The most important difference between a virus and bacteria is that bacteria respond well to antibiotic treatment and viruses do not.

A sore throat is commonly spread by: sharing drinks, kissing, coughing, nose blowing, and sneezing.

Common Causes:

Bacterial infection: Strep throat is the most common bacterial infection. It is mainly caused by streptococcal bacteria. Strep throat can lead to rheumatic fever which can trigger heart valve problems or inflammation of the kidney.

Other bacteria can cause sore throats - e.g. gonorrhoea is an example of a sexually transmitted infection.

Viruses: The majority of sore throats are due to an infection with a virus; there is a large variety of viruses which cause the common types of sore throats. A well-known virus is the Epstein-Barr virus, which causes glandular fever and glandular fever tonsillitis.

Tonsillitis: It is an inflammation of the tonsils. Chronic tonsillitis occurs when there is so much damage to the tonsils. In this condition, the throat is sore most of the time, often accompanied by bad breath.

Glandular fever and tonsillitis: Glandular fever may cause sore throat problem. The tonsils and the glands in the neck are often very large and may cause severe breathing difficulties.

Other Possible Causes:

Measles may causes the sore throat under some circumstances.
Breathing through the mouth can cause the throat to dry and become painful.

In some cases a sore throat could be a sign of throat cancer (usually in smokers) or AIDS

Allergies. Allergies do not cause sudden sore, painful throats. They can, however, cause chronic mild throat irritation.

Sore throat could occur due to infectious mononucleosis.
Fish, chicken bone, or other foreign substance increases the risk of throat problems.

Surgery such as tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy may lead to the condition of sore throat.

Sinus drainage may cause a sore throat.