Pediatria pre prax 5/2023

Sore throat as a clinical symptom of viral and bacterial infections in childhood

The throat forms a boundary between the upper and lower respiratory tract. It is a place of direct contact with food, air, and pathogens. A sore throat can have a variety of causes, including infectious (viral, bacterial infections) or non-infectious agents (allergies, pollution, heartburn). A sore throat is a symptom of an upper respiratory tract infection, and for the doctor to accurately determine the disease, it is necessary to proceed with a differential diagnosis. Differential diagnosis is a systematic process used to identify the correct diagnosis from a set of possible competing diagnoses and requires the physician’s clinical experience. A virus causes more than 90 % of all upper respiratory tract infections; over half of children are carriers or spreaders of rhinovirus infection. Viruses infecting the respiratory tract include coronaviruses, influenza viruses, herpes viruses or adenoviruses. Bacterial agents, Streptococcus pyogenes or Streptococcus pneumoniae, are most represented. From the staphylococcus genus, Staphylococcus aureus is most often found in children. Other bacterial causes include Haemophilus influenzae, Neisseria gonorrhoeae, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Corynebacterium diphtheriae. A sore throat can be a symptom of a cold or diseases such as flu, acute pharyngitis, tonsillitis, COVID-19, laryngitis, epiglottitis, mononucleosis, or highly infectious hand-foot-mouth disease. If a bacterial infection is confirmed, paediatricians usually administer antibiotics. The doctor uses the CRP diagnostic test to determine the bacterial infection correctly. The treatment is symptomatic if the child suffers from a sore throat caused by a virus. In the pharmacy, there is a choice of three medicinal forms that relieve sore throat. They are gargles, sprays, and pastilles, which are recommended according to the child’s age.

Keywords: throat, respiratory diseases, viruses, bacteria