Duration of a sore throat - what is normal?
introduction
Sore throats can be triggered by different causes. Therefore, the time it takes for the symptoms to subside differs.
In most cases, the sore throat is caused by a viral or bacterial infection. But they can also be caused by allergies, burns, acid regurgitation or in rare cases also by tumors.
Sore throats that persist for more than three weeks or that recur at short intervals should definitely be clarified by a doctor.
Duration of sore throat
In most cases, an infectious sore throat will pass after 3 to 5 days and are often the first symptom of a cold. This is usually followed by other symptoms such as a cold or cough. Infection-related sore throats can persist for up to two weeks, especially with bacterial infections.
If the pain is caused by a burn caused by food that is too hot, for example, it disappears after a few days, as the mucous membrane regenerates quickly.
If acid regurgitation (reflux) is responsible for the sore throat, it can occur again and again. With appropriate treatment, for example with a proton pump inhibitor, these disappear again after a few days.
How to tell if your sore throat is bacterial or viral can be found in our article on the Viral cold.
Duration of the accompanying symptoms
Accompanying symptoms can be, for example, runny nose, stuffy nose, cough, lack of voice (aphonia), hoarseness, fever, swollen lymph nodes and other cold symptoms.
Viral infections usually result in a shorter duration of illness than bacterial ones, but in some cases - such as mononucleosis triggered by EBV - can also last longer than 10 days.
If the disease is treated and cured well from the start, the symptoms usually disappear completely within the first 7 to 14 days.
Symptoms can persist for more than two weeks, especially if the body is exposed to exertion too early. In some cases, the complaints also recur (relapse) if, for example, the disease was not completely healed. Therefore, it is also true here that taking care of the body is very important in order to heal a cold.
How you can shorten the duration of a cold, read in our article How can I shorten the duration of a cold?
Length of sick leave
The length of the sick leave depends on the severity of the illness. If it is a simple viral infection that triggers the sore throat, a sick leave is usually sufficient for 3 to 5 days. If it is a bacterial infection with fever and chills or if the patient feels very weak, sick leave can also be prescribed for 7 to 14 days.
In general, however, the duration of a sick leave should be decided on an individual basis and if the symptoms worsen or fail to improve, a sick leave should generally be extended and further diagnostics and a change of therapy should take place in order to achieve healing.
Also read:
- Can you go to work with a cold?
- Sick leave with a cold
Duration of medication use
Over-the-counter medications such as lozenges for sore throats should generally not be taken for more than 3 days. If there is no improvement, a doctor should be consulted.
Ibuprofen and paracetamol can be taken regularly for the first 3 to 5 days for the sore throat. Care should be taken that the maximum daily dose is not exceeded.
You might also be interested in these topics:
- Treating a sore throat
- Home remedies for a sore throat.
Duration of antibiotic use
Especially when taking antibiotics, the duration depends on the antibiotic that has been prescribed. For example, if the sore throat is caused by streptococcal angina, then in most cases penicillin V antibiotics are prescribed. This antibiotic is then taken 3 times a day for 7 days.
Other antibiotics are prescribed for penicillin allergy. In this case, for example, erythromycin can be taken for 10 days.
Clindamycin intake - especially in the case of recurring bacterial throat infections - is also recommended for 10 days.
The prescribed time and number of antibiotic tablets should be strictly followed. If this is not done, the bacteria can become resistant to the antibiotic. This means that bacteria develop mechanisms to switch off the antibiotic so that the infection persists and the antibiotic no longer works if you take it again.
Duration of the incubation period
The incubation period, which describes the period from infection to the appearance of the first symptoms, differs for different viruses and bacteria and can range from 1 day to several weeks.
For example, the incubation time of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is 2 to 6 weeks, whereas the incubation time of the adenovirus is only 5 to 8 days.
If the throat inflammation with a sore throat is triggered by streptococci, the time from infection to the onset of symptoms usually takes between 2 to 4 days.
