Sore throat

• Can I talk to a doctor on Gotodoctor.ca about my sore throat?

Yes, Gotodoctor.ca provides virtual care services for sore throat. A doctor will take a comprehensive in-depth history and may provide you with prescriptions. Depending on the severity of symptoms further recommendations will be provided. If a patient is suffering from severe pain in the throat the doctor will direct him/her to clinic treatment.

• What is a sore throat?

Sore throat is a painful, irritating and scratchy feeling in the throat as a result of bacterial or viral infections and allergies^[1]. Bacterial infections and allergic reactions last longer than viral infections of the throat^[2]. It often worsens with the spread of the infection. Cough and cold symptoms like fever, chest congestion may present with soreness in the throat and swallowing cause a pain in the infected part of the throat ^[3-5].

• What are the symptoms of a sore throat?

Sore throat can present simultaneously with fever, itchy feeling, dryness and pain in the throat if there is an infection and inflammation^[6]. A doctor will be able to diagnose a sore throat by identifying characteristic symptoms. Signs associated with a sore throat are swollen glands and lymph nodes in the neck, white patches on tonsils and hoarseness of the voice^[7]. Allergic reactions such as hypersensitive reaction to penicillin and antimicrobials, chemical substance irritation and acid reflux can also cause sore throat^[7]. A doctor will ask specific questions in the history to differentiate infections^{[8, 9]}.

• How is a sore throat treated?

A doctor decides on treatment and further laboratory tests after taking a comprehensive history of the patient. Treatment of a sore throat depends on the underlying cause and investigations should be done to find out the exact etiology. First of all, life-threatening conditions are excluded by the doctor. Pain relief medications may be prescribed to make the patient free of pain^[10]. Prescriptions for cough suppressants, antibiotics and prescriptions for expectorant drugs may be provided for chest congestion and soreness^{[11] [12, 13]}.

• How can an online doctor on Gotodoctor.ca treat a sore throat?

Online doctors on Gotodoctor.ca treat sore throat through virtual care services. An appointment can be easily made with an online doctor. A sore throat can be treated via virtual care methods^{[8, 12-19]}. But a doctor should be cautious, as a sore throat may be an indication of acute pharyngitis and tonsilitis, so these conditions should be excluded. An online doctor will take a comprehensive history of your signs and symptoms and may provide you with prescriptions. Prescriptions can be obtained by online doctors. Virtual care services provided by Gotodoctor.ca assure comfort, convenience and a higher level of care for the patient.^[20].

References

1. McHardy, F. and F. Chung, Postoperative sore throat: cause, prevention and treatment. Anaesthesia, 1999. 54(5): p. 444-453.
2. Worrall, G.J., Acute sore throat. Canadian Family Physician, 2007. 53(11): p. 1961.
3. McIsaac, W.J., et al., The validity of a sore throat score in family practice. Cmaj, 2000. 163(7): p. 811-815.
4. Renner, B., C.A. Mueller, and A. Shephard, Environmental and non-infectious factors in the aetiology of pharyngitis (sore throat). Inflammation Research, 2012. 61(10): p. 1041-1052.
5. Lovato, A., G. Rossettini, and C. de Filippis, Sore throat in COVID‐19: Comment on “Clinical characteristics of hospitalized patients with SARS‐CoV‐2 infection: A single arm meta‐analysis”. Journal of medical virology, 2020. 92(7): p. 714-715.
6. Proud, D., et al., Nasal provocation with bradykinin induces symptoms of rhinitis and a sore throat. Am Rev Respir Dis, 1988. 137(3): p. 613-616.
7. Zwart, S., et al., Penicillin for acute sore throat in children: randomised, double blind trial. Bmj, 2003. 327(7427): p. 1324.
8. Eaton, L.H., et al., Development and implementation of a telehealth-enhanced intervention for pain and symptom management. Contemporary clinical trials, 2014. 38(2): p. 213-220.
9. Staub, G.M., J. von Overbeck, and E. Blozik, Teleconsultation in children with abdominal pain: a comparison of physician triage recommendations and an established paediatric telephone triage protocol. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2013. 13: p. 110-110.
10. Little, P., et al., Open randomised trial of prescribing strategies in managing sore throat. Bmj, 1997. 314(7082): p. 722.
11. Linder, J.A. and R.S. Stafford, Antibiotic treatment of adults with sore throat by community primary care physicians: a national survey, 1989-1999. Jama, 2001. 286(10): p. 1181-1186.
12. Almathami, H.K.Y., K.T. Win, and E. Vlahu-Gjorgievska, Barriers and Facilitators That Influence Telemedicine-Based, Real-Time, Online Consultation at Patients’ Homes: Systematic Literature Review. J Med Internet Res, 2020. 22(2): p. e16407.
13. Deldar, K., K. Bahaadinbeigy, and S.M. Tara, Teleconsultation and Clinical Decision Making: a Systematic Review. Acta informatica medica : AIM : journal of the Society for Medical Informatics of Bosnia & Herzegovina : casopis Drustva za medicinsku informatiku BiH, 2016. 24(4): p. 286-292.
14. Gunasekeran, D.V., et al., Evaluating Safety and Efficacy of Follow-up for Patients With Abdominal Pain Using Video Consultation (SAVED Study): Randomized Controlled Trial. Journal of medical Internet research, 2020. 22(6): p. e17417-e17417.
15. Myers, D.R., et al., Towards remote assessment and screening of acute abdominal pain using only a smartphone with native accelerometers. Scientific Reports, 2017. 7(1): p. 12750.
16. Staub, G., J. Overbeck, and E. Blozik, Teleconsultation in children with abdominal pain: A comparison of physician triage recommendations and an established paediatric telephone triage protocol. BMC medical informatics and decision making, 2013. 13: p. 110.
17. Bokolo Anthony, J., Use of Telemedicine and Virtual Care for Remote Treatment in Response to COVID-19 Pandemic. Journal of Medical Systems, 2020. 44(7): p. 132.
18. Wang, X., et al., Impact of Telemedicine on Healthcare Service System Considering Patients’ Choice. Discrete Dynamics in Nature and Society, 2019. 2019: p. 7642176.
19. Williams, O.E., et al., The use of telemedicine to enhance secondary care: some lessons from the front line. Future healthcare journal, 2017. 4(2): p. 109-114.
20. Akhtar, M., et al., Telemedicine physical examination utilizing a consumer device demonstrates poor concordance with in-person physical examination in emergency department patients with sore throat: a prospective blinded study. Telemedicine and e-Health, 2018. 24(10): p. 790-796.