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Illustration of throat anatomy
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Also called: Pharyngitis

Your throat is a tube that carries food to your esophagus and air to your windpipe and larynx. The technical name for throat is pharynx.

You can have a sore throat for many reasons. Often, colds and flu cause sore throats. Other causes can include:

Treatment depends on the cause. Sucking on lozenges, drinking lots of liquids and gargling may ease the pain. Over-the-counter pain relievers can also help, but children should not take aspirin.

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