Antibiotics cannot treat a sore throat if it is caused by a viral infection. In this report by Sade Oguntola, experts explain why antibiotics should not be used immediately as a treatment for a sore throat because most of the time, the soreness disappears with time.
A sore throat can be painful and annoying. The itchiness and irritation in the throat caused by it can worsen and make it painful to eat and even talk. Often people resort to antibiotics, thinking that it would cure the sore throat. Most sore throats are caused by a virus, such as a cold and antibiotics would not work for sore throats caused by a virus, says Dr Ayotunde Fasunla, an Ear, Nose and Throat specialist at the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Oyo State.
Dr Fasunla said that the commonest cause of sore throat is, aside from a virus, is a strain of streptococcus bacteria and as such doctors would only prescribe antibiotics for sore throat if alongside the sore throat, the individual has other symptoms like swollen neck nodes, fever, swollen tonsils with signs of pus and cough.
Other common causes of a sore throat include allergies, irritation caused by dry heat, cold air, pollutants, or chemicals and reflux, when stomach acids come up into the back of the throat. More severe but less common conditions that can involve a sore throat include HIV infection, tumors of the throat, tongue, or larynx and epiglottitis (a rare but potentially dangerous throat infection).
Mostly, people that are most at risk of frequent sore throats include children aged between five and 15 years and people with allergies, weakened immune systems, exposed to chemical irritants, or whose tonsils are large or irregularly shaped.
He declared that although the antibiotics may not take the soreness away faster, it could lower the risk of a bacterial infection spreading to other parts of the body, such as the ears and sinuses, thereby preventing serious but rare problems such as rheumatic fever or kidney inflammation in children.
Rheumatic fever is an inflammatory disease that can cause permanent heart damage and also affect the brain, joints and skin.
Howbeit, very rarely, a sore throat may be a symptom of a more serious condition if it comes with difficulty breathing or swallowing, severe pain, drooling, a muffled voice and a high-pitched sound as one breathes.
In 2013, Cochrane library review of studies on effective of antibiotics for treating sore throats said antibiotics confer relative benefits in the treatment of sore throat. However, the absolute benefits are modest. They found that antibiotics shorten the duration of pain symptoms by an average of about one day and can reduce the chance of rheumatic fever by more than two-thirds in communities where this complication is common. Other complications associated with sore throat are also reduced through antibiotic use.
The review included 27 trials with 12,835 cases of sore throat. All of the included studies were randomised, placebo-controlled trials which sought to determine if antibiotics helped reduce symptoms of either sore throat, fever and headache or the occurrence of more serious complications. Studies were conducted among both children and adults.
The quality of the included studies was moderate to high. However, there were very few recent trials included in the review (only three since 2000), hence it is unclear if changes in bacterial resistance in the community may have affected the effectiveness of antibiotics.
Howbeit, Dr Fasunla said most sore throats have to run their course as such home remedies such as salt water gargle will only offer temporary relieve of the sore throat symptoms. A salt water gargle entails mixing half a teaspoon of salt in one cup of warm water. It is used to gargle for 20 seconds, three to four times a day.
He declared that the salt water gargle is not a cure for sore throat but it will help to wash away perhaps the organism, pus, secretions or contaminants on surface of the throat while also soothing the swelling and the pain in the throat.
According to him, “Saltwater is hypertonic; it means that saltwater has a higher osmotic pressure than the fluid in cells. So when you submerge the cells in the throat in saltwater, the liquid in the cells gets drawn to the surface and so does any virus or bacteria that are in the throat, meaning you might be able to spit some out along with the saltwater.
“Extra moisture on the surface also makes a sore throat feel better. Also, the salt could kill some of the bacteria or virus that’s causing the throat pain once it is close enough to the surface. But, again, saltwater is not a sore throat cure; it is not going to attack the root source of the pain. It’ll just calm it down.”
Moreover, swallowing a spoonful of honey, vitamin C supplements, drinking lots of water and other liquids, and staying away from cigarette smoke are also sure to soothe a sore throat. Vitamin C helps by promoting the healing of the surface of the throat as well as to boost the immune system to fight the organism.
Honey has a long history as an effective remedy for a sore throat. The CDC recommend honey to relieve sore throats for adults and children at least one year of age or older. Also, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has recommended honey for a sore throat since 2001.
However, it is essential that a person does not give honey to a child younger than one year old due to the risk of infant botulism. This is a rare but serious form of poisoning, which can occur by ingesting Clostridium botulinum spores in honey products.
How honey works for treating the symptoms of a sore throat is less clear. Most researches suggest that it may be due to the antimicrobial and wound healing properties of honey, which may offer pain relief and reduce inflammation.
Many people use honey for its antimicrobial properties. One 2019 study notes the antimicrobial potential of honey and suggests that it warrants further investigation. For example, the researcher in that study said that honey may be more effective than many common antibiotics against bacteria, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. This suggests that honey could have potential use as an antibiotic against resistant bacteria.
Also, avoiding microbes that can cause a sore throat entail regular hand washing, especially after sneezing and coughing; avoiding touching of nose or mouth, refraining from sharing food, eating utensils or drinking glasses; avoiding close contact with people who are sick; use of alcohol-based hand sanitisers if soap and water are unavailable and touching surfaces in public places.
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