Throat

A sore throat is pain, scratchiness or irritation of the throat that often worsens when you swallow. The most common cause of a sore throat (pharyngitis) is a viral infection, such as a cold or the flu. A sore throat caused by a virus resolves on its own.

Strep throat (streptococcal infection), a less common type of sore throat caused by bacteria, requires treatment with antibiotics to prevent complications. Other less common causes of sore throat might require more complex treatment.

Tonsillitis is inflammation of the tonsils, two oval-shaped pads of tissue at the back of the throat — one tonsil on each side. Signs and symptoms of tonsillitis include swollen tonsils, sore throat, difficulty swallowing and tender lymph nodes on the sides of the neck.

Most cases of tonsillitis are caused by infection with a common virus, but bacterial infections also may cause tonsillitis.

Because appropriate treatment for tonsillitis depends on the cause, it's important to get a prompt and accurate diagnosis. Surgery to remove tonsils, once a common procedure to treat tonsillitis, is usually performed only when bacterial tonsillitis occurs frequently, doesn't respond to other treatments or causes serious complications.

Snoring and Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) are caused by the development of resistance to airflow in the upper airways during sleep. As the resistance to airflow increases breathing is disrupted and obstructive sleep apnea develops. The first thing to happen is that the tissues in the throat start to vibrate causing snoring.

Snoring can be treated in the office with laser assisted uvuloplasty (LAUP), injection snoreplasty, or radiofrequency palatoplasty. Inspire Sleep Apnea Innovation is another treatment option that works inside your body to treat the roodt cause of sleep apnea with the click of a button.

The disruption in sleep can lead to being tired during the day but more importantly contribute to the development of high blood pressure, heart attack and heart failure.