Also called: Pharyngitis
Important: This page is general information, not medical advice. It does not recommend or prescribe any treatment. Always consult your doctor or pharmacist before starting, stopping or changing any medicine.
About Sore Throat
Your throat is a tube that carries food to your esophagus and air to your windpipe and larynx (also called the voice box). The technical name for the throat is pharynx.
You can have a sore throat for many reasons. Often, colds and flu cause sore throats. Other causes can include:
- Allergies
- Mononucleosis
- Smoking
- Strep throat
- Tonsillitis
Treatment depends on the cause. Sucking on lozenges, drinking lots of liquids, and gargling may ease the pain. Over-the-counter pain relievers can also help, but children should not take aspirin.
It sits within Ear, Nose and Throat.
When to speak to someone. Reading about a topic cannot tell you whether it applies to you. Speak to a doctor or pharmacist if symptoms are severe, sudden, getting worse, or simply not going away — and seek emergency care immediately for chest pain, breathing difficulty, sudden weakness or confusion, or a serious allergic reaction.
Research on Sore Throat
407 studies areregistered for this condition on ClinicalTrials.gov, the U.S. National Library of Medicine's public registry. A selection is below — the links go straight to the registry entry, not to a summary of ours.
What a registered study does and does not mean. Registration means a study exists and has been declared publicly. It says nothing about whether the treatment being tested works, is safe, or is available to you. Many studies find no benefit — that is what research is for. Never seek out an experimental treatment on the strength of a registry entry alone.
Research currently under way
- Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole vs. Clindamycin for the Treatment of Children With Invasive MRSA InfectionsIndiana University
- SUPRATHEL 250 as a Treatment for Oropharyngeal WoundsAlaa Emara
- Heart Rate Variability and Early Cytokine Profile in Pediatric AdenotonsillectomyDuzce University
- Effect of Endotracheal Tube Cuff Pressure Management on Postoperative Sore Throat in Pediatric Laparoscopic AppendectomyAnkara Etlik City Hospital
- RhinAV_Evaluation of Treatments for Acute Viral Rhinitis, Rhinosinusitis, and RhinopharyngitisUniversity Hospital, Clermont-Ferrand
- Observational Study of OROSEDAL in Sore Throat and Minor Oral LesionsLaboratoires Elerte
Research already completed
- Efficacy and Safety of Jinhua Qinggan Granules (JHQG) for the Use of Acute Upper Respiratory InfectionUniversity of Karachi
- Hyaluronic Acid for Prevention of Post-Intubation Sore Throat and HoarsenessPusan National University Yangsan Hospital
- Evaluation of the Efficacy of Streptococcus Salivarius Evol12® in the Reduction of Recurrent Adenotonsillitis in ChildrenLiaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences
- Evaluation of a Hypertonic Seawater Aerosol Therapy Solution in Adults and ChildrenLaboratoires Gilbert
- Comparing Two Agents Used to Stop Bleeding During Tonsil Removal Surgery: Adrenaline Versus Hydrogen PeroxideRawalpindi Medical College
- Air-Q and Proseal Laryngeal Mask in Elderly PatientsDiskapi Yildirim Beyazit Education and Research Hospital
Study data from ClinicalTrials.gov, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. Retrieved 2026-07-30. Registry entries are supplied by study sponsors and investigators; ClinicalTrials.gov does not verify their scientific validity. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH.
Where to read more
Rather than paraphrase, we point you to the primary sources. Every link below is to a government health agency, a national institute or a recognised medical body — grouped by what you are trying to find out.
Start Here
- Sore throat (Pharyngitis)American Academy of Family Physicians
- Sore Throat BasicsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention
- Sore Throat: When to See a DoctorAmerican Osteopathic Association
- Sore ThroatsAmerican Academy of Otolaryngology--Head and Neck Surgery
Symptoms
- Sore Throat: Symptoms and CausesMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Throat Problems (Symptom Checker)American Academy of Family Physicians
Diagnosis and Tests
- Strep A TestNational Library of Medicine
- Strep Throat, Sore Throat or Tonsillitis: What's the Difference?American Academy of Pediatrics
Treatments and Therapies
- Sore Throat: Diagnosis and TreatmentMayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research
- Sore, Scratchy Throat? Soothing Pain from Illness or AllergyNational Institutes of Health
Clinical Trials
- ClinicalTrials.gov: PharyngitisNational Institutes of Health
Medical subject headings
Clinicians and researchers index this subject under Pharyngitis. These are the terms to use when searching medical literature.
This page is built from the MedlinePlus health topic record for Sore Throat, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health. Information is from MedlinePlus.gov. PocketsInfo is not affiliated with, and is not endorsed by, the NLM or the NIH. Retrieved 30 July 2026.