3 Complications of Untreated Sore Throat

You won't believe it, but it is true that sore throat can kill. It might not kill you within a few days, but in the long run you would get many problems which might kill you if you don't treat it well. If it doesn't kill you, it might lead to some other serious health problems. So, sore throat must be treated well.

Sore throat is very common. It is estimated that 8 out of every 100 people get sore throat at least once in three months. Chances are you have had sore throat already a number of times. 

We all know the feeling you get, when you have sore throat. You experience pain in the throat, especially when swallowing. It also often itches. It is often associated with headaches, fever, body aches, and common cold. It can spoil your day. 

What are some of  the complications that sore throat can give you?

It Can Lead To Heart Problems

Sore throat is caused by viruses and bacteria. Acid reflux disease (GERD), trauma, and tumors can also cause sore throat. One type of sore throat is caused by streptococcal bacteria. When one gets streptococcal sore throat, the bacteria can travel through the blood to the heart. There the bacteria start destroying the heart valves. After a number of years, this can lead to a condition called mitral valve prolapse. 

Mitral valve prolapse, leads to incomplete closure of the heart valves. The valves may close well when a person is at rest, but when the person lifts weight, or does any work which causes the ventricles of the heart to contract forcefully, the valves won't close well. Such people often feel discomfort when lifting weight or exerting themselves, because instead of all the blood going to the rest of the body, some are forced back into the left atrium and then into pulmonary circulation. 

Mitral regurgitation follows if the condition is left untreated. When this occurs, the mitral valve does not close at all. It occurs even at rest. A loud noise called a murmur can often be heard even without  a stethoscope. The left ventricle now forces more blood into the left atrium then into the pulmonary vein.  This can lead to several problems such as difficulty in breathing (dispnea), stroke, arrhythmias (abnormal heart beat), and even sudden death. Surgery can correct this problem. During the procedure the valves are replaced with artificial heart valves.

 

It Can Lead to Kidney Problems

If you ever wondered, what the functions of the kidney are then here are a few. The kidney cleans blood of toxins, and excess substances such as water and nutrients, helps regulate blood pressure, and then helps the body make use of Vitamin D which gives the human body strong teeth and bones.   

 

Left untreated, streptococcal sore throat can also give you kidney problems such as post streptococcal glomerulonephritis.  This can occur as early as 10 days after a streptococcal sore throat. Symptoms of this condition include dark reddish, brown urine, swollen face, and fatigue. High blood pressure and  protein in urine also result from this condition. 

It can lead to Arthritis

Untreated sore throat can lead to inflammation of the joints. This is commonly called arthritis (post streptococcal reactive arthritis). When this happens, patients experience pain in the major joints. The affected joint often becomes swollen. This may lead to several problems. Left untreated this can actually destroy your joints.  In short, you would not be able to do what you usually do because of the severe joint pains. Just think of all the lost hours of productivity that will accompany this condition. 

Conclusion 

Clearly, you can see from the above that something as trivial as sore throat can lead to many serious problems, and even death. With this knowledge, we must make every effort to treat sore throat well.   

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Written by: Yaw Boakye-Yiadom (Pronounced Yiaw Bwachi-Yiadom)