What to do if your throat is red but doesn’t hurt?

Causes of red throat

There are many diseases that cause redness of the throat. Conventionally, these reasons are divided into two groups:

• Mechanical;
• Infectious.

Mechanical reasons

Mechanical reasons include the ecological state of the environment, namely air pollution, humidity, dust, various debris, evaporation of harmful substances, radiation. These are some of the most common reasons when the throat is red, but does not hurt. If toxic substances or radiation enter the body, a person can easily get sick, but not feel any signs of his condition. Most often, children are exposed to such pathologies, since their immune system is weakened and is unable to cope with illnesses on its own.

Chemical production workers who inhale vapors of various chemical reagents every day suffer from this phenomenon. In such cases, at first the throat is very sore, but soon the pain subsides, but the redness remains. The thing is that the mucous membranes damaged by chemical vapors initially become inflamed and cause pain, but they take a long time to recover, so the redness does not go away for a long time.

Quite often, the cause of redness is a thermal burn, which can be caused by eating hot food or drinks. In such cases, the throat hurts so much that it is difficult to swallow saliva in the first day, not to mention eating. The pain gradually subsides, and damaged mucous membranes can take a month to recover.

Chronic infections as causes of sore throat

During the cold season, a sore throat is most often associated with a viral or bacterial infection. But in acute cases, the body temperature rises, the throat turns red, and a runny nose appears. The general condition worsens.

With strong immunity, a person really copes with a viral infection without leaving a trace. After a full course of treatment prescribed by a doctor, usually all symptoms of the disease disappear.

And a completely different situation arises for people who suffer from the flu on their feet, swallowing pills for fever. When the body's defenses are weak, pathogens remain on the mucous membranes in an inactive form, causing sluggish chronic pharyngitis or laryngitis. In these cases, it happens that the throat is not red, but still hurts.

This indicates a smoldering viral infection. This condition should not be taken lightly; it should alert the patient and encourage him to visit a doctor.

By the way! The longer the disease drags on, the more difficult it is to cure.

It happens that the throat hurts, but it is not red. This happens to people who, without consulting a doctor, self-medicate.

Fans of traditional medicine, using warming with hot eggs or inept use of herbs, turn a mild infection into a chronic form in the form of pharyngitis - inflammation of the pharynx. This problem is eliminated by an ENT doctor after examination with mirrors.

Citizens whose professional activities involve stress on the vocal cords constantly have a sore throat. The so-called lecturer's disease develops over the years in speakers and singers. Chronic laryngitis or glossitis can be treated if you consult an otolaryngologist.

If your throat hurts but there is no redness, the cause may be chronic tonsillitis. As a rule, the disease is a consequence of untreated sore throat, which often happens after interrupting the course of antibiotic therapy. In this case, the tonsils are not red, but loose.

Pain when swallowing is caused by food that is too cold or hot. In children they occur after eating ice cream.

In any case, treatment with special agents prescribed by a doctor is required. Otherwise, after drinking soft drinks, a sore throat will occur even in summer.

With chronic infectious mononucleosis, it happens that the throat hurts, but it is not red.

In addition to this symptom, the disease is manifested by changes in the blood - the presence of atypical mononuclear cells, an increase in ESR, an increase in the number of leukocytes, lymphocytes, monocytes and erythrocytes. In addition, there is an enlargement of the liver, spleen and lymph nodes.

Important! This infection is called "kissing disease." This is how easy it is to get it as a gift from your loved one.

The virus is dangerous during pregnancy because it causes fetal deformities. Therefore, pregnancy planning should be discussed with a gynecologist. The husband is also subject to examination.

Chronic sinus infections may cause throat discomfort without redness. A constantly secreted secretion from the maxillary or frontal sinus, flowing down the back wall of the pharynx, irritates the mucous membranes.

Chronic diseases

The main sign of the presence of chronic diseases is the frequency of redness. If you have a sore throat infrequently, but redness appears periodically, the following diseases may be the cause:

• Pharyngitis;
• Tonsillitis;
• Laryngitis;
• Sinusitis;
• Sinusitis. It is with sinusitis that one can observe a red throat without painful manifestations or irritation, there is no temperature, but at the same time there is very high pressure, and the ears are blocked.
• Most diseases of internal organs (thyroid gland). With this kind of disease, the throat may be red, but it does not hurt at all. The pain is mainly felt in the lymph nodes in the neck, but there is no difficulty in eating.

During the period of exacerbation of chronic diseases, it is difficult to swallow food, the patient experiences discomfort and a sore throat. But all these symptoms last no more than two days.

Red throat without pain in an adult

Redness in the throat causes concern, as everyone is accustomed to considering this the first sign of a cold. In most cases, this is true, since the mucous membrane is the most vulnerable place of the body; This is how it responds to contact with bacteria and viruses.

The most common cause of a red throat in adults is the inflammatory process of ARVI. In this case, you should consult a doctor; strictly follow the recommendations; treat the problem. You can use proven grandmother’s methods (rinse or irrigate with herbal decoctions, drink warm milk with honey, make a delicious medicine from the same honey and aloe juice; hot foot baths). The main thing is not to let the problem take its course, otherwise you risk that the infection will go further along the respiratory tract and develop into a complication - sore throat, bronchitis, pneumonia.

Cold air can cause your throat to become red.

But other factors not related to viral infection may also be the cause:

overeating cold foods, such as ice cream; excessively hot, spicy food gives the same effect; swallowing cold air in winter; allergic reaction to external irritants (dust, wool, smoky room); long conversation in a raised voice; low air humidity, dry microclimate cause tickling, cough; love of solid food , which may scratch.

Such reasons do not require special drug treatment; you need to reconsider your habits and body characteristics.

Adults and children have a constantly red throat. The next block of reasons is more serious and is associated with chronic throat diseases; nasopharynx; oral cavity, they must be treated:

Chronic tonsillitis is a severe inflammation of the tonsils (they become red), usually begins with a sore throat, and is its acute manifestation. Unpleasant white “plugs” appear - ulcers. Chronic pharyngitis is inflammation of the back wall of the pharynx. The sick person feels his throat sore, something is preventing him from swallowing, and at the same time the pain, cough, and temperature rise increase. It is the wall of the pharynx, and not the tonsils, that is red. Sinusitis, sinusitis, deviated nasal septum - problems with the nose also cause redness, since the mucous membranes are located close to each other (often the inflammatory process affects the nasopharynx completely). Diseases of the stomach and gall bladder can affect the condition throat. Mucus from the stomach passes up and leads to the spread of infection in the throat. Dental disease, especially caries, is a constant source of harmful microorganisms in the mouth. In this case, a red throat is a common symptom. Prevention of chronic diseases: gargling, inhalations, physiotherapy.

Chronic diseases should be monitored and preventive treatment carried out (rinses, inhalations, physiotherapy). Ailments of different origins, in addition to redness of the throat, add other symptoms of varying degrees of manifestation.

Redness of the throat, heaviness when inhaling, abdominal pain, and fever require calling a doctor. If redness is a single symptom, carry out a set of home treatments using available remedies. A constantly red throat in adults may not hurt, so you need to be careful.

In babies, redness occurs when the first teeth appear, because this is a painful process that is even accompanied by fever. This problem in infants without fever occurs as a result of constant crying and external allergic irritants. If you have a fever, you need to start treatment immediately (but without antibiotics!). It is worth trying to treat with traditional methods, adjusting the drinking regime (additive to mother's milk).

A smear of the tonsils will help to correctly diagnose the disease and find the source of inflammation. A red throat causes discomfort and may be accompanied by:

body temperature exceeding normal; pain reaction; poor appetite due to discomfort when swallowing; headache.

A red throat can be due to mechanical reasons that arise from external irritants and the development of viral infections in the human body - internal provocateurs. Such diseases can be isolated or chronic, but both cases need to be treated. You should not joke with a red throat, so as not to earn additional diseases.

If your throat is red but not painful, it could be pharyngitis, which sometimes occurs without a sore throat. This disease is characterized by an acute inflammatory process of the upper respiratory tract, which is accompanied by redness in the throat. Sometimes there is still a slight increase in temperature, but the general condition does not deteriorate much.

In children, pharyngitis is much more severe. If you get pharyngitis, you should gargle with alkaline solutions, lubricate the pharyngeal mucosa with iodicerin or Lugol's solution. You can also drink warm milk with honey if you have never had an allergic reaction to it.

Sometimes it happens that a person’s throat is red, but does not hurt because he has chronic inflammation of the tonsils. It is accompanied by a frequently rising temperature, which is even perceived as constantly elevated. However, the apparently calm course of the disease is fraught with serious complications. The tonsils filled with pus poison the internal organs. Sick tonsils affect the heart and cause other chronic diseases, such as rheumatism, bronchitis, even stomach ulcers.

For any inflammatory diseases, even if the throat is red but does not hurt, drinking plenty of fluids is beneficial and recommended; warm herbal teas (sage, mint, chamomile) will bring invaluable benefits to your body. Calendula tincture is an excellent remedy. But it is best to consult with a specialist who will make the correct diagnosis and prescribe effective treatment.

If the patient has a red throat, the treatment that can be done before going to the doctor is gargling with a decoction of various herbal infusions. Your home medicine cabinet should always include chamomile, sage, and coltsfoot. It also wouldn't hurt to make a gargling solution. To prepare it, you don’t need any foreign means, you don’t even have to run to the pharmacy. Only salt, soda - a teaspoon each - and two drops of iodine. All this is added to a glass of warm water.

For children who know how to suck candy, you can offer a “medicinal treat” - lollipops with sage, chamomile, and honey. Kids really like them. The hardest thing is for mothers if they notice a red throat in their baby. But here special syrups with medicines come to their aid, which can easily be made to drink by a tiny person: these products, as a rule, have a pleasant fruit and berry taste.

It is important to maintain oral hygiene: brush your teeth daily, and after eating, be sure to rinse your mouth. Drinking plenty of fluids during this period is also important. Often, using antibiotics is the only option, but if you have a viral oral infection, antibiotics may be useless or even harm your body.

Before going to the otolaryngologist, you can alleviate your condition by gargling with herbal decoctions of sage, oak bark, and chamomile. Aerosols with antiseptic and antibacterial effects are recognized as effective in treating the throat: “Bioparox”, “Oracept”, “Ingalipt”.

Hyperemia (redness) is one of the signs of inflammation, which occurs due to increased blood flow to tissues or due to overcrowding of capillaries or blood vessels. This process is the body’s response to bacteria, viruses, as well as to an unfavorable environment. To determine the reason why your throat is red but does not hurt, you should consult a doctor. As a rule, doctors in such cases prescribe Erespal syrup, Tantum Verde spray, and Septefril tablets.

You yourself can supplement your child’s treatment with folk remedies. Using a sterile syringe, irrigate the throat with a decoction of chamomile, calendula, sage, and let the baby drink more. This can be weak tea with the addition of a small amount of honey, if the child does not suffer from allergic reactions. You can make a compress on the baby’s neck from fatty warm cottage cheese, carefully secure it with a warm scarf. After a few hours, replace the cooled curd mass with warm one. Leave the scarf on the neck for some more time. Competent and timely treatment will give excellent results, and your child will certainly be healthy.

Most patients who consult an otolaryngologist complain of redness of the throat. In this case, symptoms such as fever, dryness in the oropharynx and malaise may be absent. When you have a red throat, you should not wait for new clinical signs of the disease to appear, but begin treatment. However, it is necessary to understand what caused the disease.

Now let's look in more detail at why the throat turns red, what provoking factors contribute to this, and what is recommended to do. There are two groups of reasons:

non-infectious; infectious.

Considering the considerable probability of damage to the oropharynx by non-infectious factors, we will highlight the most common ones that lead to redness of the throat. In this case, temperature is observed only in case of infection of the damaged mucosa and the development of an inflammatory reaction:

mechanical injuries. They are observed due to disruption of the integrity of the mucous membrane of the pharynx by solid foods, for example, crackers, or due to choking during eating. First of all, this is dangerous due to asphyxia due to reflex bronchospasm when a foreign element enters the respiratory tract. After removing the object, the throat may become red and slightly sore. In addition, it should be noted the appearance of hyperemia of the oropharynx after prolonged screaming, singing or laughter. Chronic redness is typical for people whose profession is related to public speaking (vocalists, announcers); inhalation of polluted (dust, industrial hazards), dry, cold air, which causes the mucous membrane to become irritated and hyperemic; thermal damage to the mucous membrane of the pharynx during inhalation of hot steam, inhalation of caustic fumes, which leads to a chemical burn. Damage to the mucous membrane is also possible when consuming hot food or liquid;

Thermal damage requires qualified medical care, since untimely treatment leads to the formation of scar tissue and irreversible changes in the mucous membrane of the pharynx.

Particularly dangerous are burns from chemicals that enter the digestive tract, causing cicatricial stenosis of the esophagus, as well as into the organs of the respiratory system.

If your throat is red but does not hurt, you should suspect the negative impact of an allergic factor. After contact of the oropharyngeal mucosa with a provoking allergen (chemicals, fluff, pollen, citrus fruits, hygiene products), a local immune response develops. It can be expressed in the form of allergic pharyngopathy.

Note that there is no increased temperature. Depending on the aggressiveness of the allergic factor and the sensitivity of the immune system to it, redness of the throat may be the only symptom or accompanied by the appearance of other clinical signs.

A person may be concerned about:

soreness, soreness in the oropharynx; sneezing, itching; swelling of the mucous membrane of the pharynx; rhinorrhea, nasal congestion; lacrimation, signs of conjunctivitis.

With the development of a systemic response to an allergic factor, a skin rash may appear.

In severe cases, bronchospasm and decreased blood pressure are possible.

To alleviate the condition, it is necessary to stop contact with the allergen. If the allergen was food, you should take sorbents, for example, Atoxil, Polysorb or Enterosgel. This will help prevent further absorption of allergic substances and speed up their elimination.

It is also recommended to drink plenty of fluids and take antihistamines such as Suprastin, Loratadine or Erius. In severe cases, intravenous administration of hormonal agents and infusion therapy are required.

To prevent the re-development of an allergic reaction, it is necessary to establish the cause of its development. The patient should remember what he ate on the eve of the deterioration of his condition, what he used and where he was. To accurately identify the allergen, allergy tests are carried out after the condition improves. If necessary, preventive therapy is prescribed during the flowering season of plants or poplar fluff.

Allergens

One of the most common types of diseases in which the throat hurts, the color of the mucous membranes changes and discomfort occurs is an allergy. Mostly, redness in the throat is caused by food allergies (to foods and oral medications). As a rule, in such cases, the throat does not hurt, but swelling of the larynx occurs, which causes suffocating coughing, fueling fear and panic. If your larynx is not red, but you still feel pain or discomfort, you most likely have an allergy to pollen, fluff, or animal dander.

Chronic diseases

The first and main difference between chronic diseases and all others is constancy and frequency. Consequently, the symptoms will have a similar nature of manifestation. Chronic diseases in which the throat is severely irritated may include the following diseases:

• pharyngitis;
• tonsillitis;
• sinusitis;
• laryngitis;
• sinusitis and others.

If you know what disease your mucous membrane is suffering from, then you need to do the same procedures as during an exacerbation. Get the necessary treatment.

For a chronic disease, it is recommended to constantly carry out intensive treatment until the body completely gets rid of germs and viruses. If you do not pay due attention to these diseases or do not take action, they will develop into more severe forms that will have serious consequences.

In case of chronic diseases, during the period of exacerbation it is painful to swallow, and outside of it there is a feeling of discomfort. Spots and dots can be present not only on the palatine arches, tonsils, and soft palate, but also the back wall will be completely covered with them if the disease lasts for a sufficiently long period. In this case, the redness does not go away on its own, it is necessary to take appropriate measures and proper treatment.

If you find it difficult to diagnose yourself, it is recommended to immediately visit a doctor. It is important to provide him with all the information regarding both past diseases and existing ones, because many of them have similar symptoms with different pathogens.

If red spots appear in the throat and discomfort occurs, which gradually begins to develop into more noticeable symptoms. Sooner or later it becomes painful to swallow. Therefore, if something occurs in your throat, you can even prescribe gargling with medicinal herbs even without consulting a doctor. The following of them have excellent healing and antiseptic effects:

• sage;
• calendula;
• chamomile;
• Oak bark.

All these remedies can be actively used for any type of chronic disease. Also, do not forget about honey and lemon; for a better effect, you can use propolis tincture. It is also recommended to do inhalations over hot decoctions. With effective treatment, the red spots go away along with the pain. Swallowing becomes as easy as before the disease. It often happens that the throat is red, but does not hurt. This does not mean that there is no infection and nothing needs to be done. At least for prevention, it is recommended to gargle.

If your throat is constantly red

However, for some people, a red throat is a constant symptom that is difficult to get rid of. People whose throat redness is a chronic symptom include the following:

1. Heavy smokers. Smoke constantly irritates the throat.
2. Workers of enterprises with hazardous substances.
3. Gastroesophageal reflux. Inflammation is observed not only in the pharynx, but also in the esophagus.
4. Chronic diseases.
5. Allergic reaction.

In order to treat this symptom, you need to understand the causes of its occurrence and try to prevent them. For example, if the redness of the throat is associated with smoking, it is better to say no to this bad habit.