Are you male or female? Why do we ask this question? The medical assessment of symptoms is based on the body parts you have. If you are transgender or nonbinary, choose the sex that matches the body parts such as ovaries, testes, prostate, breasts, penis, or vagina you now have in the area where you are having symptoms. If you have some organs of both sexes, you may need to go through this triage tool twice once as "male" and once as "female".
This will make sure that the tool asks the right questions for you. Do you have an injury to your mouth or teeth? Do you think that a problem with your mouth such as a sore or an infection is causing the sore throat? Does your baby seem sick? A sick baby probably will not be acting normally. For example, the baby may be much fussier than usual or not want to eat.
How sick do you think your baby is? Extremely sick. Baby is sick sleepier than usual, not eating or drinking like usual. Is your baby having trouble breathing? Sometimes babies may have trouble breathing because of a stuffy nose. If your baby's nose is stuffy, clearing the nose with a rubber bulb may help.
Would you describe the breathing problem as severe, moderate, or mild? Do you think your baby may be dehydrated? Are the symptoms severe, moderate, or mild? Do you think your baby has a fever? Did you take a rectal temperature? Taking a rectal temperature is the only way to be sure that a baby this age does not have a fever.
If you don't know the rectal temperature, it's safest to assume the baby has a fever and needs to be seen by a doctor. Any problem that causes a fever at this age could be serious. Is it Is your child drooling and unable to swallow, cry, or make sounds? Is your child having trouble breathing more than a stuffy nose? The symptoms of difficulty breathing in an older child may be different than symptoms in a baby or young child. Is your child's ability to breathe:.
Getting worse? Staying about the same not better or worse? Getting better? Quickly getting worse within minutes or hours? Slowly getting worse over days? Does your child have a chronic health problem that affects his or her breathing, such as asthma?
A breathing problem may be more of a concern if your child normally does not have breathing problems. Is the problem your child is having right now different than what you are used to? Does your child make a harsh, high-pitched sound when he or she breathes in? This often occurs with a loud cough that sounds like a barking seal. Are you suddenly drooling and not able to swallow?
Are you having trouble breathing more than a stuffy nose? Would you describe the problem as severe, moderate, or mild? Is your ability to breathe:. Do you have a chronic health problem that affects your breathing, such as asthma, allergies, or COPD? A breathing problem may be more of a concern if you normally do not have breathing problems.
Are the breathing problems you're having right now different than what you are used to? Do you think you may be dehydrated? The symptoms in an adult or older child are different than the symptoms in a baby or toddler. Are you having trouble drinking enough to replace the fluids you've lost?
Little sips of fluid usually are not enough. You need to be able to take in and keep down plenty of fluids. Do you think your child has a fever? Did you take your child's temperature? How high is the fever? The answer may depend on how you took the temperature.
Moderate: Mild: How high do you think the fever is? Mild or low. How long has your child had a fever? Less than 2 days 48 hours. From 2 days to less than 1 week. Does your child have a health problem or take medicine that weakens his or her immune system?
Does your child have shaking chills or very heavy sweating? Shaking chills are a severe, intense form of shivering. Heavy sweating means that sweat is pouring off the child or soaking through his or her clothes. Do you think you may have a fever? Did you take your temperature? How long have you had a fever? At least 2 days but less than 1 week. Do you have a health problem or take medicine that weakens your immune system? Do you have shaking chills or very heavy sweating? Heavy sweating means that sweat is pouring off you or soaking through your clothes.
Is there any pain? How bad is your throat pain, if 0 is no pain and 10 is the worst pain you can imagine? Signs of pain in a baby or toddler are different than signs of pain in an older child or adult. Is the pain on only one side of your throat? Does your voice sound hoarse or muffled? How long have you had the sore throat or other throat problem? Less than 1 day 24 hours. Longer than 1 week.
Have you been exposed to someone who may have strep throat? Do you have swollen lymph nodes in your neck? Do you have white or green patches or pus on the back of your throat? Do you have cold symptoms, such as a runny or stuffy nose or drainage from your nose down the back of your throat?
Colds often cause a sore throat. You can usually treat this at home. Do you have a rash? Certain illnesses can cause a sore throat and a rash. It could also be due to smoking, in which case the solution is simple QUIT.
If a lone sore throat lingers longer than a week, however, you should contact your physician. And if you develop any other symptoms — even milder symptoms you typically associate with a common cold — you should contact your physician or get tested for COVID The common cold and the virus that causes COVID are both the same type of virus — called a coronavirus — and can cause similar symptoms.
But if you have a mild case of COVID, you could spread the coronavirus to someone who suffers a worse infection. The doctor might also feel the sides of your neck to see if you have swollen glands. The doctor will run a swab over the back of your throat and collect a sample to test for strep throat bacteria.
With a rapid strep test, the doctor will get the results within minutes. To confirm the diagnosis, the sample will be sent out to a lab to be tested. A lab test takes one to two days, but it can definitively show that you have strep throat.
Sometimes you might need more tests to figure out the cause of your sore throat. You can see a specialist who treats diseases of the throat, called an ear, nose, and throat ENT doctor or otolaryngologist.
Doctors diagnose strep throat based on symptoms, an exam of the throat, and a strep test. For a sore throat without an obvious diagnosis, you might need to see a specialist who treats conditions of the ears, nose, and throat. Over-the-counter medications that relieve throat pain include:. You can also use one or more of these treatments, which work directly on the pain of a sore throat:.
Shop for throat lozenges. Shop for cough syrup. Some herbs, including slippery elm , marshmallow root , and licorice root , are sold as sore throat remedies.
Shop for Throat Coat herbal tea. Shop for antacids. Low-dose corticosteroids can also help with the pain of a sore throat, without causing any serious side effects 8. Over-the-counter pain relievers, sprays, and lozenges can relieve the pain of a sore throat.
Medicines that reduce stomach acid can help with sore throats caused by GERD. Antibiotics treat infections caused by bacteria, like strep throat. You need to treat a strep throat with antibiotics to prevent more serious complications like pneumonia , bronchitis , and rheumatic fever.
Antibiotics can reduce sore throat pain by about one day, and lower the risk of rheumatic fever by more than two-thirds 9. Doctors usually prescribe a course of antibiotics lasting about 10 days Stopping an antibiotic too early can leave some bacteria alive, which can make you sick again.
Antibiotics treat sore throats caused by bacteria, such as strep throat. You need to treat strep throat to prevent more serious complications. Take your child to a doctor if your child's sore throat doesn't go away with the first drink in the morning, recommends the American Academy of Pediatrics. If you're an adult, see your doctor if you have a sore throat and any of the following associated problems, according to the American Academy of Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery:.
Viruses that cause the common cold and the flu also cause most sore throats. Less often, bacterial infections cause sore throats. Many bacterial infections can cause a sore throat. The most common is Streptococcus pyogenes group A streptococcus which causes strep throat.
Gastroesophageal reflux disease GERD. GERD is a digestive system disorder in which stomach acids back up in the food pipe esophagus. Other signs or symptoms may include heartburn, hoarseness, regurgitation of stomach contents and the sensation of a lump in your throat.
HIV infection. A sore throat and other flu-like symptoms sometimes appear early after someone is infected with HIV. Also, someone who is HIV-positive might have a chronic or recurring sore throat due to a fungal infection called oral thrush or due to a viral infection called cytomegalovirus CMV , which can be serious in people with compromised immune systems.
Rarely, an infected area of tissue abscess in the throat or swelling of the small cartilage "lid" that covers the windpipe epiglottitis can cause a sore throat. Both can block the airway, creating a medical emergency. The best way to prevent sore throats is to avoid the germs that cause them and practice good hygiene.
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