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Throat Disorders
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.
National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Find an Expert
- American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
- Find an ENT American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
- National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders
Diagnosis and Tests
- Barium Swallow National Library of Medicine
- Strep A Test National Library of Medicine
- Strep Test: Throat Culture (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
- X-Ray Exam: Neck Nemours Foundation
Patient Handouts
- Blockage of upper airway Medical Encyclopedia
- Epiglottitis Medical Encyclopedia
- Glossopharyngeal neuralgia Medical Encyclopedia
- Herpangina Medical Encyclopedia
- Laryngitis Medical Encyclopedia
- Laryngoscopy Medical Encyclopedia
- Retropharyngeal abscess Medical Encyclopedia
- Strep throat Medical Encyclopedia
- Throat swab culture Medical Encyclopedia
Related Issues
- Candidiasis 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
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Laryngeal Diseases National Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Laryngitis National Institutes of Health
- ClinicalTrials.gov: Pharyngeal Diseases National Institutes of Health
Specifics
- Croup: MedlinePlus Health Topic National Library of Medicine
- 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.
- Strep Throat: All You Need to Know Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Children
- GERD and LPR American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery
- Retropharyngeal Abscess (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
- Scarlet Fever (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
- Scoop on Strep Throat (For Kids) Nemours Foundation
- Strep Throat (For Parents) Nemours Foundation
- When a Sore Throat Is a More Serious Infection American Academy of Pediatrics
Treatments and Therapies
- Mouth Dryness or Thick Saliva American Cancer Society
Symptoms
- Neck Swelling (Symptom Checker) American Academy of Family Physicians
Encyclopedia
- Oropharynx lesion biopsy Medical Encyclopedia
Journal Articles
Teenagers
- Strep Throat (For Teens) Nemours Foundation
Start Here
- Throat Problems (Symptom Checker) American Academy of Family Physicians