This resulted in 15 million physician visits in the United States in 2007. Pharyngitis is the most common cause of a sore throat. The word comes from the Greek word pharynx meaning "throat" and the suffix -itis meaning "inflammation". Classification
Pharyngitis is a type of inflammation caused by an upper respiratory tract infection. It may be classified as acute or chronic. Acute pharyngitis may be catarrhal, purulent, or ulcerative, depending on the causative agent and the immune capacity of the affected individual. Chronic pharyngitis may be catarrhal, hypertrophic, or atrophic.Tonsillitis is a subtype of pharyngitis. If the inflammation includes both the tonsils and other parts of the throat, it may be called pharyngotonsillitis or tonsillopharyngitis. Another subclassification is nasopharyngitis (the common cold).Clergymans sore throat or clergymans throat is an archaic term formerly used for chronic pharyngitis associated with overuse of the voice as in public speaking. It was sometimes called dysphonia clericorum or chronic folliculitis sore throat. Cause
Most cases are due to an infectious organism acquired from close contact with an infected individual. Viral
These comprise about 40–80% of all infectious cases and can be a feature of many different types of viral infections. Adenovirus is the most common of the viral causes. Typically, the degree of neck lymph node enlargement is modest and the throat often does not appear red, although it is painful. The family Orthomyxoviridae which cause influenza are present with rapid onset high temperature, headache, and generalized ache. A sore throat may be associated. Infectious mononucleosis ("glandular fever") is caused by the Epstein–Barr virus.
When a patient has multiple abnormalities (multiple anomaly, multiple deformity), they have a congenital abnormality that can not be primarily identified with a single system of the body or single disease process. Most medical conditions can have systemic sequelae, but multiple abnormalities occur when the effects on multiple systems is immediately obvious. References


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