Swollen Uvula and Sore Throat

A sore throat is uncomfortable, painful and feels like scratchy throat. It is often accompanied with a troublesome and most commonly swollen uvula. The swollen uvula and sore throat make your life terrible as they prohibit you from eating, speaking and even drinking water comfortably. If you are a frequent sufferer of swollen uvula and sore throat, then it will definitely be a good idea to learn about this troublesome condition so that not only can it be treated well but also be prevented from occurring in the future. Let's start with its symptoms.

Symptoms of Swollen Uvula and Sore Throat

• Difficulty in swallowing
• Presence of white patches and pus in the throat
• A general feeling of vomiting
• Headache
• Mild to severe throat pain
• Swollen and inflamed tonsils
• Tightness in throat
• High fever
• Hoarseness of voice
• Frequent desire to cough

Causes of Swollen Uvula and Sore Throat

• The most common cause of swollen uvula and sore throat is one or the other type of viral infection, e.g. Infection of Epstein-Barr virus. This is the reason that many-a-times antibiotics fail to provide relief from this state.
• Dryness of mouth, which can be caused either by dehydration from consuming alcohol or breathing through mouth.
• Drinking hot fluids can lead to sore throat accompanied with swollen uvula.
• Swollen uvula and sore throat are symptoms of certain diseases such as chicken pox, diphtheria, common cold, croup, infectious mononucleosis, measles and viral pharyngitis.
• Majority of human's throat is prone to infection by Streptococcus species. Such an infected throat is called strep throat. Thus, bacterial infection of the throat is another probable reason behind swollen uvula and strep throat or sore throat. Read more on strep throat.
• In case of tonsillitis, the infection spreads from tonsils to uvula.
• Sometimes, some foreign body may get stuck in the throat and this leads to inflammation of the tissues involved. Such substances can be fish or chicken bones.
• Swollen uvula and sore throat can be one of the side-effects of surgical treatments such as tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.
• Allergic reaction of your body against dirt and dust, or some other foreign substance is another possible cause of swollen uvula and sore throat. More on scratchy throat allergies.

Home Remedies for Swollen Uvula and Sore Throat

• Deal with dehydration by drinking plenty of water. It will be even better if you drink warm water as it helps in healing of the swollen uvula and sore throat.
• Drink warm lemon tea twice a day. It will help in sore throat cure.
• Place a wet tea bag on the tongue. The antioxidants from tea will heal the swollen uvula and reduce the inflammation of the throat.
• Chew any flavor of aspirin based chewing gums. It will increase the production of saliva, which in turn will bring moisture in the mouth.
• You can also use a cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier to moisten the throat.
• Mix a teaspoon of turmeric powder with a tablespoon of honey and lick it from the spoon from time to time to get fast recovery.
• Drink chilled drinks, eat lots of ice-creams and suck on ice-cubes. All these will help in getting the pain down
• Eat fresh yogurt to soothe a sore throat as it clears up oral thrush.
• Take a mild analgesic such as Ibuprofen to ease the pain. You can also try antibiotics for step throat.
• Increase the intake of foods rich in vitamin C. This will boost your immunity and thus, help in fast recovery from swollen uvula and sore throat.
• Take a glass of warm water. Add a teaspoon of table salt and a quarter of a teaspoon of turmeric powder to it. Mix these ingredients well and gargle before sleeping for the best possible results.
• If you get frequent sore throats, you should use throat irrigators that are available over-the-counter. Throat irrigators wash away microbes and massage the throat area so as to allow proper blood circulation.
• Brush your teeth and tongue at least twice a day to maintain good oral hygiene. More on sore throat remedies and itchy throat remedies.

See also

• Sore Throat and Swollen Glands
• Earache and Sore Throat

Hope, the information given in this article comes to your help in recovering from frequent swollen uvula and sore throat. However, if in spite of trying out all the above mentioned home remedies, you continue to face trouble with recurring sore throat and swollen uvula, you need to seek medical attention.