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Symptoms
By Mayo Clinic staff
Sore throat symptoms include:
- A dry, scratchy or swollen throat
- Pain when swallowing, breathing or talking
A sore throat usually occurs as a result of an infection that has its own additional symptoms. For example, if your sore throat is caused by a cold, you may also have coughing, fever, sneezing, body aches or a runny nose.
In most cases, the underlying cause of a sore throat — such as a cold or the flu — will get better on its own within a week. Less often, a sore throat is caused by something that needs treatment to get better.
Signs that your sore throat may have a more serious underlying cause — such as tonsillitis or strep throat — include:
- White patches or pus on your throat or tonsils
- Inability to swallow
- A sore throat that doesn't get better on its own or keeps coming back
- Vomiting
- Skin rash
- Headache
- Severe throat pain
- Swollen, red tonsils
- A high fever — over 101 F (38.3 C) in babies under age 6 months or 103 F (39.4 C) in older children and adults
When to see a doctor
Although uncomfortable, most sore throats aren't harmful and go away on their own in five to seven days. But sometimes they can signal a more serious condition.
See your doctor if you or a child has any of the following:
- A sore throat that is severe or lasts longer than a week
- Difficulty swallowing or breathing
- A fever over 101 F (38.3 C) in babies under age 6 months
- A fever over 103 F (39.4 C) in older children and adults
- Tender or swollen lymph nodes in the neck
- Pus or white patches at the back of the throat
- Skin rashes, which can be a sign of an underlying condition such as measles, meningitis or mono (infectious mononucleosis)
- Hoarseness or a cough that lasts longer than two weeks
- Blood in the saliva or phlegm
- Signs or symptoms of dehydration, such as sunken eyes, severe weakness and decreased urine output
- Contact with someone who has been diagnosed with strep throat
- Sore throats that get better but keep coming back
- Excessive drooling (in a young child)
