Professor Lee Se-young of the Department of Otolaryngology and Throatology at Chung-Ang University Hospital is performing a pharyngeal endoscopy.Kim Ui-shim (pseudonym), an office worker, recently felt a foreign body feeling in her throat, and as the sore throat worsened along with dry cough and sputum, she suspected that she might have Corona 19. Still uneasy, I went to the otolaryngology department the next day and did a rapid antigen test, which was also confirmed negative at the hospital. Instead, a laryngeal endoscopy at the otolaryngology department confirmed that the larynx was inflamed and diagnosed as ‘reflux laryngitis’.
There are a lot of people, like Kim, 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. Professor Lee Se-young of the Department of Otorhinolaryngology at Chung-Ang University Hospital said, “The symptoms of sore throat include COVID-19, pharyngitis, laryngitis reflux, and tonsillitis. he explained.
First of all, COVID-19 may show various symptoms depending on the individual, such as fever, malaise, cough, shortness of breath, etc. In particular, the omicron mutant virus, which is currently popular in Korea, is a representative case of complaining of neck pain, and unlike other diseases, it can be divided into cases where the sense of smell and taste are lost depending on the individual.
In addition, the general flu or cold develops symptoms in the order of headache, sore throat, fever, diarrhea, and vomiting following coughing or muscle pain, whereas in Corona, symptoms usually occur in the order of fever, cough, sore throat, headache, muscle pain, vomiting, and diarrhea. It can be suspected that sore throat appears earlier than muscle pain.
Professor Lee Se-young said, “Recently, a screening test (Sniffing Bead System) to objectively differentiate olfactory abnormalities has been conducted for confirmed COVID-19 patients. “It is necessary to diagnose olfactory disorders at an early stage by conducting olfactory function tests if necessary,” he said.
The most common cause of sore throat is sore throat.
In the initial stage of sore throat, symptoms of foreign body and dryness appear in the pharynx, but when it becomes severe, it is difficult to swallow food due to pain, and high fever, headache, general malaise, loss of appetite, and bad breath occur. Inflammation in the larynx is also spread, making the voice rest, sometimes accompanied by pain in the lower part of the ear, sore throat, tickling, and fatigue.
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 you are diagnosed with simple sore throat, if the symptoms of sore throat are severe and you have difficulty in daily life, it is necessary to actively treat the symptoms at an early stage to improve symptoms quickly and prevent complications.”
Among the diseases accompanying sore throat, gastropharyngitis is a common symptom of a foreign body feeling as if something is stuck in the throat, like other diseases. It may be accompanied by a feeling of sour or bitter water rising, indigestion, and a burning sensation in the stomach. 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.
Professor Lee Se-young said, “Recently, there are many people who suspect Corona 19 due to sore throat among patients who visit the otolaryngology department. Irregular eating habits, overeating, lack of activity, excessive stress, drinking and smoking, fatigue, and irritating foods are the causes of reflux pharyngitis. , 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 explained.
In addition, tonsillitis, which is caused by bacterial infection in the tonsils, is 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 located around the throat and behind the nose, in the mouth, are inflamed due to bacteria and viruses. In the early stages, various symptoms such as dry throat, fever, swallowing pain, dysphagia, ear pain, headache, extremity pain and back pain appear, and the tonsils swell and grow in size. It is cold and trembling, and my head hurts, as if my bones were aching, and sometimes it was accompanied by pain in the ear. Tonsillitis is easy to occur due to deterioration of oral hygiene due to wearing a mask for a long time. Tonsillitis also has a sore throat as the main symptom, but there is no coughing and an accurate diagnosis can be made with a laryngoscopy.
Professor Lee said, “If an individual has symptoms of sore throat, it is necessary to conduct a corona self-diagnosis test, instead of foreseeing or responding complacely, and according to the result, it is necessary to quickly visit a hospital to check whether or not there is Corona, and to receive appropriate treatment through an accurate diagnosis of the disease. “He said. Professor Lee emphasized, “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 foreign body sensation or sore throat can be induced without infection by bacteria or viruses.”
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