Earache and Sore Throat

When a person ends up with an earache and sore throat, it means that either the ear or the throat has been infected which has spread to the other one. Your ears and your throat are connected with the help of the Eustachian tube, hence, what affects the throat is most likely going to affect your ears too. Pollution, several allergies, swollen glands, or microbial infections can all contribute to an earache and sore throat. Let's learn more about the causes, symptoms, and treatment of this condition.

What Causes Both to Occur?
As said earlier, the causes of an earache and sore throat are interrelated. Any kind of trouble to any one of the organs can lead to pain to the other. Ear problems often arise as an onset of a sore throat. However, one has to identify the causes individually to find the connection between the two.

1. Sore Throat: A sore throat is nothing but inflammation of the tonsils, larynx, and pharynx of the throat. Normally, an uncomplicated sore throat seldom lasts for more than 3 days. Most of the time, a sore throat is caused by microbial infections which can be treated with several over-the-counter medication.
2. Earache: It is just the same with earache. Earache is also often caused due to infection that is caused to the inner ear, middle ear or the outer ear. An ear infection can be cured with timely medical intervention.

As both, the ear and the throat are located just next to each other, it is obvious that trouble with any of the organs will undoubtedly affect the other. Mostly, it is the sore throat, that is the main culprit behind those nasty earaches. The cause of contracting an earache and sore throat on one side can also be attributed to infection on only one side of the throat. Thus, the pain would persist on that side even though the other side is completely normal. Following are the causes of an earache and sore throat, in brief.

• Tonsillitis
• Smoking
• Drinking Excessive Alcohol
• Having too Hot or Cold Food
• Ear Infections
• Hay Fever
• Allergies
• Overuse of Vocal Cords
• Uvula Infection
• Cough
• Cold and Flu
• Sinus Infections
• Tooth Infection

Earache and Sore Throat Symptoms
Ear infections in adults and in children are just about the same type, and can occur due to infection to any of its connected organs like the throat or the nose. In the following conditions, it is best to see a health care specialist as early as possible.

• Difficulty in swallowing anything for more than 3 days
• Swollen lymph nodes and glands
• Persistent fever for more than 3 days
• Rash and pus on tonsils
• Stiff neck and back
• Lasting mouth ulcers
• Blood in saliva or phlegm

Earache and Sore Throat Remedies
An external examination of your ear and throat is not sufficient enough to predict the actual reason and severity of the infection causing the earache and sore throat. Though an earache and sore throat is usually mild and will seldom last long, the severe pain that is experienced is sometimes intolerable. As stated repeatedly, a sore throat is more often the main reason behind the earache as well. Being the resultant of viral and bacterial infections, it can be healed with several home remedies for a sore throat. Follow a combination of these home remedies for a few days and the symptoms along with the infection will disappear.

Following several precautions like drinking plenty of non-alcoholic drinks, gargling with a solution of warm water and turmeric, taking a temporary pain killer like paracetamol or ibuprofen, and administering antibiotics for a strep throat can aid in the cure. Avoid smoking, alcohol, and food of extreme temperatures; sucking on throat lozenges and keeping a warm towel on the aching ear are the first aid acts that one can perform to get rid of an earache and sore throat. If the pain aggravates and stays persistent for more than 3 days, one has to see an Otolaryngologist (ENT specialist) as soon as possible.