The throat refers to the pharynx and larynx, which are connected to the outside world through the mouth and nose. The pharynx is a common channel for eating and breathing, and it is also an important gateway to prevent the invasion of external pathogens. If you ask someone to open their mouth and make the "eee" sound, causing the soft palate to contract and lift, it's easy to see the palatine tonsils (commonly known as "tonsils") on both sides of the oral pharynx and the string-like lateral pharyngeal lymph nodes behind them. Together with the "pharyngeal tonsils" located above the nasopharynx and the "lingual tonsils" located below the tongue root, they form the "pharyngeal lymphatic ring", which tightly guards the entrance to the throat. This tonsil group, mainly composed of palatine tonsils and lymphoid tissue, is part of the human immune system. Once bacteria, viruses, or other harmful substances invade, these guardian posts quickly mobilize immune cells and fight back by phagocytosing pathogens or producing antibodies. At this time, the throat becomes a "battlefield" where two forces clash, leading to acute inflammation, symptoms such as sore throat, fever, local tissue redness and swelling, pus or exudate adherence, etc. These are normal defensive reactions of the body. The severity of a sore throat does not necessarily indicate the severity of the disease. A high fever and a sore throat indicate that the body is making a strong resistance. Although the patient may appear red-faced and red-eyed, they still look energetic, so there's no need to worry too much. After appropriate treatment, the condition often gets controlled quickly. On the contrary, in some cases, such as diphtheria, although the patient may not have a high fever or a severe sore throat, they may appear very listless, and the prognosis is not good. Although this infectious disease is now rare, people still cannot be complacent about it.
The main cause of a sore throat is acute inflammation of the throat, which can be caused by simple local inflammation or the early manifestation of certain systemic infections in the throat. Of course, there are also obvious causes of sore throat, such as trauma to the throat, burns, foreign body obstruction or swallowing corrosive liquids, mucosal ulcers, and glossopharyngeal neuralgia. Recurrent sore throats are often triggered by factors such as exposure to cold, excessive mental or physical exhaustion, etc. The root cause lies in the patient's poor constitution and weak immunity.
The tonsils are immune organs, which have multiple functions such as enhancing the body's immunity, especially important in the developmental stage of children. Therefore, it's not advisable to easily remove them just because they often get inflamed, which is equivalent to automatically dismantling the defense and allowing pathogenic microorganisms to invade the body unchecked. Some people may develop chronic pharyngitis after tonsil removal, often experiencing discomfort such as sore throat, dry throat, and a foreign body sensation in the throat. Therefore, tonsil removal must be done with great caution.