Kim Young-yu (pseudonym), an office worker, recently felt a foreign body in her throat, and as the sore throat worsened along with dry cough and sputum, she suspected that she might have Corona 19.
The next day, I went to the otolaryngology department and did a rapid antigen test, and the result at the hospital was also confirmed as negative. Instead, a laryngeal endoscopy at the otolaryngology department confirmed that the larynx was inflamed and diagnosed as ‘reflux laryngitis’.
Like Mr. Kim, there are many people who are concerned that they may have been diagnosed with the coronavirus due to a sore throat, one of the typical symptoms of COVID-19. However, the symptoms of ‘sore throat’ can be caused by various diseases other than COVID-19.
Professor Lee Se-young of the Department of Otolaryngology, Chung-Ang University Hospital, said, “The symptoms of sore throat include COVID-19, pharyngitis, reflux laryngitis, and tonsillitis. “He said.
Corona 19 Omicron, characteristic of smell and taste abnormality … Starting with fever
First of all, COVID-19 presents with respiratory symptoms such as fever, malaise, cough and shortness of breath, and various symptoms depending on the individual, such as sputum, sore throat, and diarrhea, or is often asymptomatic.
In particular, in the case of the ‘omicron’ mutant virus, which has recently become popular in Korea, it is typical to complain of neck pain, and unlike other diseases, it can be divided into a case of loss of smell and taste depending on the individual.
In addition, while the general flu or cold develops symptoms in the order of headache, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, and vomiting following coughing or muscle pain, corona usually presents in the order of fever, cough, sore throat, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. It can be suspected that sore throat appears earlier than muscle pain.
Professor Lee Se-young said, “Recently, the Sniffing Bead System has been conducted to objectively identify olfactory abnormalities in patients with COVID-19, and up to 85.6% of COVID-19 patients have olfactory dysfunction. In the case of patients, it is necessary to conduct an olfactory function test if necessary to diagnose olfactory disorders at an early stage.”
Sore throat is a symptom of foreign body sensation and dryness.
The most common cause of sore throat is ‘pharyngitis’.
In sore throat, symptoms such as foreign body sensation and dryness appear in the pharynx in the early stages, but when it gets worse, it is difficult to swallow food due to pain, high fever, headache, general malaise, loss of appetite, bad breath, inflammation in the larynx, and the voice rests. It is sometimes accompanied by pain in the lower part of the ear, and the throat is dry, sore, and tickling, and when fatigued, the symptoms worsen, causing hoarseness and difficulty in making sounds.
Sore throat, which has symptoms similar to COVID-19, tastes and smells differently from Corona, has weak or no cough symptoms, and the pain is concentrated in the neck.
Professor Lee Se-young said, “The symptoms of sore throat are very similar to those of COVID-19, so it is not easy to distinguish them at the beginning. “Even if the corona test is negative and you are diagnosed with simple sore throat, if the symptoms of sore throat are severe and you are having trouble in your daily life, you need to actively treat it at an early stage to improve symptoms quickly and prevent complications,” he said.
Reflux pharyngitis, indigestion and chest pain
On the other hand, among diseases accompanying sore throat, ‘reflux laryngitis’, like other diseases, is a common symptom of a foreign body feeling as if something is stuck in the throat. there is
‘Reflux pharyngitis’ is a disease in which stomach contents reflux backwards through the esophagus into the pharynx and larynx, causing damage to the mucous membrane. .
Reflux pharyngitis, which has a sore throat, sore throat, and a feeling that something is hanging in the throat, similar to other diseases that show symptoms of sore throat, including COVID-19 It is also distinct from reflux disease, and unlike COVID-19, if there is no fever, the various systemic symptoms observed in COVID-19 are not accompanied,” he said.
Professor Lee Se-young said, “Recently, among the patients who visit the otolaryngology department, many people suspect that they have COVID-19 due to sore throat. Irregular eating habits, overeating, lack of activity, excessive stress, drinking and smoking, fatigue, and irritating foods are the causes of reflux laryngitis. , I think the number of patients with reflux laryngitis has increased due to delivery food such as spicy food that irritates the esophageal mucosa, eating habits to enjoy late-night meals and alcohol, and the habit of lying down immediately following eating,” he said.
Tonsillitis, enlarged tonsils, severe neck pain
In addition, ‘tonsillitis’, which is issued due to bacterial infection in the tonsils, is also one of the diseases that can be easily mistaken for corona due to sore throat symptoms.
Tonsillitis is a disease in which the tonsils, such as the palatine tonsils, lingual tonsils, and adenoids (pharyngeal tonsils), which are lymph organs around the throat and the back of the nose, in the mouth, are inflamed due to bacteria and viruses. Various symptoms such as dysphagia, earache, headache, extremity pain and back pain appear, and the tonsils become swollen and grow in size. It is painful and sometimes accompanied by ear pain.
In these days, when the mask is contaminated by wearing a mask for a long time due to Corona 19 and the weather is getting hotter, tonsillitis is easy to occur due to the deterioration of oral hygiene.
Tonsillitis also has a sore throat as the main symptom, which can be mistaken for COVID-19 or sore throat, but there is no cough and an accurate diagnosis can be made with a laryngoscopy.
Professor Lee Se-young said, “In these days, it may be difficult to respond quickly due to various similar diseases, including COVID-19, due to sore throat symptoms, but if you have sore throat symptoms, individuals should not predict in advance or respond complacely, “It is necessary to conduct a diagnostic test, to quickly find a hospital according to the results, to check for the corona virus according to the procedure, and to receive appropriate treatment through an accurate diagnosis of the disease,” he said.
Professor Se-young Lee said, “In addition, if the oral mucosa becomes dry due to frequent drinking or smoking, it is very important to maintain a healthy lifestyle, such as drinking enough water, because a feeling of foreign body or sore throat can be induced without infection by bacteria or viruses.” .