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May 26, 2013
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Sore Throat (cont.)

Medical Author:
Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, Chief Medical Editor

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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Medical Editor:
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD
Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Sore Throat Medical Treatment

Care of a sore throat involves treatment of pain, dehydration, or difficulty breathing (airway problems are common with croup or epiglottitis).

  • Antibiotics
  • Antibiotics are not helpful when a virus is the cause of a sore throat.
  • Sometimes it is difficult to determine whether the cause is viral or bacterial, so antibiotics may be prescribed as a precaution.
  • Antibiotics speed the resolution of a strep throat by an average of only 1.5 days.
  • Antibiotics are helpful in preventing rheumatic fever (an uncommon but severe complication of a streptococcal infection, which may cause severe inflammation of the heart muscle and heart valves).
  • Corticosteroids can be helpful in the treatment of a few select types of sore throats. Although they impair immune function, the anti-inflammatory effect can be very useful. They are mostly used in cases of severe tonsillitis, eppiglottitis, or in cases of croup.

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Sore Throat (Pharyngitis) - Length Symptoms Lasted

The eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:

How long did the symptoms of your sore throat (pharyngitis) last? Was there anything in particular that helped with pain/symptom relief?

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Sore Throat - Treatment

The eMedicineHealth physician editors ask:

What treatment was effective for your sore throat?

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Pharyngitis »

Pharyngitis is a leading cause of pediatric ambulatory care visits.

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