11 Causes of a Hot Throat and How to Properly Treat It

According to WebMD – A hot throat can make you feel uncomfortable. Often, this condition is also accompanied by pain, difficulty swallowing, and fever.

Not only because of consuming hot food and drinks, a hot throat can also be caused by various conditions, ranging from mild to dangerous.

Causes of a hot throat

Here are the possible causes of a hot throat that you need to know about.

1. Cold cough

When you have a cold cough, you may have felt a burning sensation in your throat. This condition can be caused by a viral infection, but is usually not a serious problem.

Apart from burning and coughing, you may also experience a stuffy and runny nose, sneezing, aches and pains, headache and fever.

2. Laryngitis

Laryngitis is a common throat infection. This condition is triggered by group A Streptococcus bacteria that can spread through the air.

In addition to causing a burning sensation in the throat, laryngitis can trigger pain that makes it difficult to swallow food.

Symptoms of strep throat may also include swollen tonsils, rash, nausea, vomiting and fever.

3. Increased stomach acid (GERD)

Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), or acid reflux, occurs when stomach acid rises back up the oesophagus and can even reach the throat.

This condition commonly causes burning in the throat and chest (heartburn).

In addition to a hot and dry throat, symptoms of GERD include a sour and bitter taste in the mouth, coughing, hoarseness, difficulty swallowing, and chest pain.

4. Flu

Influenza or flu is a disease caused by a virus. This condition also triggers a sore and hot throat.

If not treated properly, the flu can get worse. In some cases it can even cause life-threatening complications, such as pneumonia.

When exposed to the flu virus, you may also feel symptoms of fever, muscle aches, cough, nasal congestion, fatigue, vomiting.

5. Postnasal drip

Postnasal drip occurs when the mucus that normally lines the nose drips and builds up to the back of the throat. Colds, allergies and cold weather can cause this problem.

The mucus can irritate the back of the throat and cause a burning sensation. Other symptoms may include coughing, a ticklish feeling in the throat, hoarseness, bad breath and a runny nose.

6. Inflammation of the tonsils (tonsillitis)

Tonsillitis is an infection that causes inflammation of the tonsils. These organs, located at the back of the throat, also fight viruses and bacteria.

Not only does tonsillitis cause a hot and sore throat, it can also lead to swollen tonsils, difficulty swallowing, fever, earache and fatigue.

7. Mononucleosis

Mononucleosis is an infectious disease caused by the Epstein-Barr virus. The virus can be spread through bodily fluids, such as saliva.

One of the symptoms of mononucleosis is a hot and sore throat.

Other symptoms include extreme fatigue, fever, aches and pains, headache, rash and swollen glands in the neck or armpits.

8. Esophagitis

Esophagitis is an inflammation of the oesophagus that can be caused by GERD, infection, or side effects of medications. Common symptoms of this condition are a burning throat, difficulty swallowing, and heartburn.

If left untreated, oesophagitis can lead to more dangerous health problems, such as sores, scarring, and narrowing of the oesophagus. These are all emergency medical conditions.

9. Burning mouth syndrome

Burning mouth syndrome is a medical term to describe a burning sensation on the inside of the mouth and throat. This condition can be triggered by nerve problems and dry mouth.

In addition to a burning throat, burning mouth syndrome can affect the lips, tongue, palate and even the cheeks.

You may also experience thirst, bitter mouth, and loss of appetite.

10. Peritonsillar abscess

One of the reasons why your throat feels hot is a peritonsillar abscess.

This bacterial infection causes pus to appear at the back of the throat, around the tonsils or tonsils making them swollen, painful and hot.

You may also experience difficulty swallowing, swollen glands in the neck, fever, headache, earache, hoarseness and drooling.

If this cause of burning in the throat is left untreated, the swelling can push the tonsils to the centre and obstruct your breathing.

11. Cancer

In rare cases, pain or burning when swallowing can be a symptom of cancer of the oesophagus or throat.

Throat tenderness and burning will generally go away within 1-2 weeks, but these symptoms will not go away if it is cancer.

Cancer can also cause other symptoms, such as coughing up blood, chest pain, unexplained weight loss, vomiting and more.

How to deal with a hot throat

In order to solve the problem of a burning throat, the underlying medical condition needs to be addressed.

In addition, there are several ways to treat a hot and dry throat that you can try to relieve it.

Drink more water to stay hydrated. Water can help your body fight bacteria and viruses.

Drinking warm water, such as tea and honey, can help soothe the throat.

Gargling with a glass of warm water mixed with ¼-½ teaspoon of salt can provide relief.

Sucking on lozenges can help relieve burning and lumpiness in the throat.

Getting enough rest can help you recover faster. In addition, it can prevent the spread of the disease.

If the throat burning is due to GERD, take medication to neutralise the stomach acid.

Avoid eating spicy foods, fizzy drinks, coffee, tea and foods with high sugar content.

Avoid eating fried foods and other foods with excess oil and coconut milk.

Quit smoking and keep away from exposure to cigarette smoke.

Using a humidifier can make the room air more humid, preventing your throat from drying out.

If your throat is sore, take painkillers for relief, such as ibuprofen or acetaminophen.

When to see a doctor?

If your throat is not getting better or is getting worse, you should see a doctor immediately for proper treatment.

You should also see a doctor immediately if you experience any of the following symptoms.

High fever of more than 38 degrees Celsius;

Difficulty swallowing or opening your mouth;

Shortness of breath;

There is blood in saliva or sputum;

,

Rash appears;

Chest pain;

Dizziness;

Confusion;

No urination;

Extreme muscle pain;

Seizures.

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