As with all other aches and pains scratchy throat is very common in adults and babies. Particularly For babies it’s very tough to bear and they can’t tell you how irritating it must be!
Here we will see the causes and treatment for scratchy throat both in adults and babies but before that we need to know what is scratchy throat?
Scratchy throat
Scratchy throat or soar throat are not painful yet we need to take particular precautions to get rid of it.
Scratchy throat leads to a dry itchy feeling which is coupled with a dry cough and lumpy feeling at the back of throat.
Scratchy throat will not allow us to swallow food and causes irritation in most of the times.
What causes scratchy throat in babies
Some of the common causes of scratchy throat in babies are:
- Viral infections such as flu, cold and chicken pox.
- Bacterial infections such as whooping cough and diphtheria.
- Dust allergies
- Irritants in air such as dust and pollen from grass.
- Advanced case of tonsillitis.
What causes scratchy throat in adults
The major reasons for causing scratchy throat in adults are shown below:
- Viral infections
- Bacterial infections
- Allergies
- Muscle strain
- Irritants
- HIV infection
- Tumors
- Gastro esophageal reflux disease(GERD)
Symptoms of scratchy throat
In babies
- Difficulty in swallowing food items
- Sudden drop in urge food
- Throat appears in red color
- Crying excessively , especially while being fed
- Baby will become irritable and restless
- Vomiting and diarrhea
- Cough, fever and bad breath.
In adults
- Difficulty in swallowing food items
- Throat pain and itchy feeling
- Swollen muscles around the jaw and neck
- Strain in the voice box due to the pain while speaking
- Husky voice.
- White Patchy areas on the tonsils
- Lack of appetite
- Runny nose or nasal congestion
Diagnosing scratchy throat
Diagnosing scratchy or soar throat undergoes several steps as discussed below:
- Feeling pain and a scratchy sensation in the throat
- Having sore and swollen glands under the jaw
- Rapid strep test
- Check whether you have swollen tonsils with redness and white patches.
- The best possible approach is to conduct full screening test of the blood.
Treatment for scratchy throat
Here are the few remedies suggested by the doctor:
Antibiotics: if the scratchy or soar throat is due to the bacterial infection then doctors prescribe to take antibiotics to get relieve from the effect within few days.
Pain reliever medicine: due to the cause and condition of scratchy throat, people are often advised to take medications such as ibuprofen and acetaminophen and other mild pain relievers.
Other useful home remedies
We have many remedies to treat soar throat without any side effects, some of them include:
- Keep away from contagious environment
- Keeping things hydrated
- Steam to get relief
- Honeysuckle flower
- Herbal teas
- Marshmallow roots
- Slipper elm
When to visit a doctor?
It is advised to visit a doctor if the baby is below 6months and having high fever. And if one has been suffering from severe and persistent throat pain need to visit the doctor.