Throat Disorders (original) (raw)

Also called: Pharyngeal disorders

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Summary

Your throat is a tube that carries food to your esophagus and air to your windpipe and larynx. The technical name for your throat is the pharynx.

Throat problems are common. You've probably had a sore throat. The cause is usually a viral infection, but other causes include allergies, infection with strep bacteria or the leaking of stomach acids back up into the esophagus, called GERD.

Other problems that affect the throat include:

• Tonsillitis - inflammation of the tonsils
• Cancer
• Croup - inflammation, usually in small children, which causes a barking cough
• Laryngitis - swelling of the voice box, which can cause a hoarse voice or loss of voice

Most throat problems are minor and go away on their own. Treatments, when needed, depend on the problem.

• Neck Swelling (Symptom Checker) (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

• Throat Problems (Symptom Checker) (American Academy of Family Physicians) Also in Spanish

• Candidiasis Basics (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention)

• Post-Nasal Drip (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)

• Recurrent Respiratory Papillomatosis or Laryngeal Papillomatosis (National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders) Also in Spanish

• About Strep Throat (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) Also in Spanish

• Croup: MedlinePlus Health Topic (National Library of Medicine) Also in Spanish

• Epiglottitis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

• Hoarseness (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)

• Laryngitis (Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research)

• Laryngoceles (Merck & Co., Inc.) Also in Spanish

• GERD and LPR (American Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery)

• Retropharyngeal Abscess (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

• Scarlet Fever (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

• Scoop on Strep Throat (For Kids) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

• Strep Throat (For Parents) (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

• When a Sore Throat Is a More Serious Infection (American Academy of Pediatrics) Also in Spanish

• Strep Throat (Nemours Foundation) Also in Spanish

• Blockage of upper airway (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

• Epiglottitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

• Glossopharyngeal neuralgia (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

• Herpangina (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

• Laryngitis (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

• Laryngoscopy and nasolaryngoscopy (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

• Retropharyngeal abscess (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

• Strep throat (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish

• Throat swab culture (Medical Encyclopedia) Also in Spanish