Itchy Ears and Throat

Itchy ears and throat occur on account of two main reasons, namely, allergies or sore throat. Itchiness in ears and throat can cause great discomfort to a person and he may have trouble carrying on with his day-to-day activities because of it. Here are the causes and treatment for itchy ears and throat pertaining to the two of its triggers i.e. allergy and sore throat.

Causes of Itchy Ears and Throat

Allergy
Itchy ears and throat could be due to an allergic reaction of the body towards some allergens such as dust mites, pollen, certain medicines, particular food items, animal hair etc. An allergic reaction is the body's response towards some substances which it considers as "invaders". Nobody has yet been able to identity the reason behind the body's such reaction. Besides an itchy throat and ears, other symptoms produced due to allergies are sneezing, itchy nose, itchy eyes, tiredness, congestion, headaches and in some cases a skin disorder known as hives.

Sore Throat
This could also be due to a sore throat, caused by a viral infection or a bacterial infection. A viral infection usually presents itself in the form of common cold or flu and is often contracted from other people through sneezing, coughing, sharing drinks, etc. A bacterial throat infection is caused by a bacterium named streptococcus. A person suffering from a bacterial throat infection experiences inflammation of the tonsils, larynx and pharynx. A bacterial throat infection can cause tonsillitis as well as ear infection, and is one of the major causes of itchy ears and sore throat.

Treatment for Itchy Ears and Throat

Treatment for Allergy
Doctors generally prescribe antihistamines for treating allergies. This is because antihistamines help in stopping the histamines produced by the mast cell throughout the body. Thus, by countering the histamines, these medications help in preventing the allergic reactions. Examples of the widely used antihistamines are diphenhydramine (benadryl) and chlorpheniramine (chlor trimeton). Natural antihistamines such as green tea and herbs like chamomile, licorice root and stinging nettle are quite beneficial in treating allergies too.

For allergy relief, the best cure would be to stay away from the allergens i.e. the substances that have caused the allergy in the first place. Discontinue eating the food items which trigger an allergic reaction or ask the doctor to change the medicines that are causing the allergy.

Immunotherapy or allergy shots are also very widely used to treat and reduce the symptoms of allergies. Nasal sprays such as those containing cromolyn sodium or a saltwater solution, help in relieving the allergy symptoms as well as itchy nose, ears and throat.

Treatment for Sore Throat
A viral infection causing a sore throat and the resultant itchy ears and throat, in most cases, gets cured on its own and the person suffering from it, becomes well in just a few days. For treating bacterial throat infections, doctors generally prescribe antibiotics such as clarithromycin, penicillin, amoxicillin and clindamycin along with cough syrups. Antibiotics curb the transmission of infection, and help reduce the associated symptoms of a sore throat.

Certain sore throat remedies such as increasing the fluid intake, taking a healthy diet, gargling with salt water, sucking throat lozenges, drinking lemon tea and eating a few cloves of garlic with honey, help in controlling and curing a sore throat too.

One last tip which will help you identify whether itchy ears and throat is due to an allergy or a sore throat - An allergy unlike a sore throat, is never accompanied by a fever and also the symptoms such as itchiness, tiredness and sneezing, last much longer in an allergic reaction as compared to a sore throat condition i.e. even more than two weeks.