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Pharyngitis causes

Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Ogheneochuko Ajari, MB.BS, MS [2]

Overview

Pharyngitis can be caused by infectious microorganisms or non-infectious agents. It is usually caused by viruses but may be caused by bacterial or fungal etiology. Gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) or particularly extraesophageal reflux (EER) can also cause acid pharyngitis in adults and children. 

Causes

Life Threatening Causes

Life-threatening causes include conditions that may result in death or permanent disability within 24 hours if left untreated.

Common Causes

Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcus (GABHS) is the most common bacterial cause of pharyngitis.[1]

Causes by Organ System

Cardiovascular Kawasaki disease
Chemical / poisoning Acetic acid, chemical exposure, hydrogen sulfide, platinosis
Dermatologic Behcets syndrome, lepidopterism, scarlet fever, scrumpox, Stevens-Johnson syndrome
Drug Side Effect Abacavir, abatacept, acetazolamide oral, acetohexamide , acyclovir, adalimumab, adefovir, alefacept, alfuzosin, allopurinol, altretamine, Amlodipine and Benazepril, amikacin sulfate, Amiloride and Hydrochlorothiazide, amobarbital, amphotericin B, ampicillin sodium, anagrelide, anakinra, anastrozole, anisindione, anticholinergic, antihemophilic factor (human), antihemophilic factor (recombinant), asparaginase, atorvastatin, auranofin, azelastine ophthalmic, aztreonam, benazepril, bevacizumab, bortezomib, bosentan, brinzolamide ophthalmic, budesonide inhalation powder, bumetanide, buspirone, busulfan, butabarbital, butorphanol, candesartan, capecitabine, captopril, carteolol, cefadroxil, cefamandole nafate, cefazolin sodium, cefepime, cefoperazone sodium, cefotaxime sodium, cefotetan disodium, cefoxitin sodium, cefpodoxime, ceftazidime, ceftizoxime sodium, ceftriaxone sodium, cefuroxime sodium, cephalexin, cephradine, cetuximab, chlorambucil, chlorothiazide, chlorpropamide, chlorthalidone, cilostazol, cladribine, clofarabine, clofibrate, co-trimoxazole, cromolyn sodium oral inhalation, cyanocobalamin nasal, cytarabine, dacarbazine, dactinomycin , dapsone, danazol, darbepoetin alfa, daunorubicin, desloratadine, desmopressin, dexmethylphenidate, diclofenac and misoprostol, diethylpropion, diphtheria, disopyramide, docetaxel, dornase alfa, doxorubicin, efalizumab, efavirenz, emtricitabine, enalapril, epinastine ophthalmic, epirubicin, epoetin alfa, eprosartan, erlotinib, erythromycin and sulfisoxazole, etanercept, ethacrynic acid, ethosuximide oral, etodolac, etoposide, ezetimibe, fentanyl skin patches, flavoxate, floxuridine, flunisolide nasal inhalation, fluorouracil, fluphenazine, fluticasone and salmeterol oral inhalation, formoterol, fosamprenavir, foscarnet sodium, fosinopril, fulvestrant, furosemide, gabapentin, ganciclovir, gatifloxacin, gemcitabine hydrochloride, glatiramer , glipizide, glyburide, grifulvin V, griseofulvin, hydrochlorothiazide, ibandronate, ifosfamide, imatinib, imipenem and cilastatin sodium, infliximab, insulin human (rDNA origin) inhalation, interferon beta-1a intramuscular, ipratropium and albuterol inhalation, irbesartan, ketotifen ophthalmic, lamotrigine, levetiracetam, levocetirizine, lisinopril, lomustine, loratadine, losartan, mechlorethamine, mefenamic acid, megestrol, melphalan, meprobamate, meropenem, mercaptopurine, mesalamine, methimazole, methotrexate, methsuximide oral, methyclothiazide, metolazone, metoprolol, minocycline, mitomycin, modafinil, moexipril, moxifloxacin ophthalmic, nafcillin sodium, natalizumab, nedocromil oral inhalation, nisoldipine, olopatadine ophthalmic, omeprazole, oxacillin sodium, oxaliplatin, oxcarbazepine, paclitaxel, palivizumab, pamidronate, peginterferon alfa-2a, penicillin G potassium or sodium, Penicillamine pentamidine isethionate, pentostatin, perindopril, phenobarbital, phenytoin oral, pindolol, pioglitazone, piperacillin sodium, plicamycin, pramlintide, prazosin and polythiazide, primaquine, primidone, procarbazine, promethazine, propafenone, propranolol oral, propylthiouracil, quetiapine, quinapril, rabeprazole, ramipril, ranitidine bismuth citrate, rifabutin, rimexolone, risedronate, risperidone, rifaximin, rituximab, ropinirole, rosiglitazone, rosuvastatin, salmeterol oral inhalation, sargramostim, scopolamine, secobarbital, sibutramine, silver sulfadiazine, sitagliptin, sodium dichloroisocyanurate, sodium oxybate, spironolactone, streptozocin, sulfadiazine, sulfasalazine, sulfinpyrazone, sulfisoxazole, tamsulosin, telmisartan, teniposide, terbinafine, teriparatide (rDNA origin), thioguanine, thiotepa, ticarcillin disodium, ticlopidine, tiotropium oral inhalation, tizanidine, tocainide, tolazamide, tolbutamide, topotecan hydrochloride, trandolapril, trastuzumab, trazodone, triamcinolone nasal inhalation, trimethadione, trimipramine, valproic acid, verapamil and trandolapril, vinblastine, vinorelbine tartrate, Von Willebrand factor, zalcitabine, zolmitriptan nasal, zonisamide
Ear Nose Throat Angina tonsillaris, Bezold’s abscess, dysphagia, ear pain, empty nose syndrome, epiglottitis, herpangina, laryngitis, Ludwig’s angina, oropharyngeal lesion, otalgia, post-nasal drip, retropharyngeal abscess, sinusitis, tonsillitis, tonsillolith, uvulitis, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty
Endocrine Thyroiditis
Environmental Environmental pollutants, lepidopterism
Gastroenterologic Dysphagia, esophagogastroduodenoscopy, GERD
Genetic Periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and adenitis
Hematologic Leukemia, Von Willebrand factor
Iatrogenic Endoscopy, invisalign, nasogastric intubation, uvulopalatopharyngoplasty
Infectious Disease Acute viral nasopharyngitis (common cold), adenovirus, allergic pharyngitis, angina tonsillaris, anthrax, arcanobacterium haemolyticum, arcanobacterium, Bezold’s abscess, blastomyces, candida albicans, cervical phlegmon, chickenpox, chlamydia pneumonia, chlamydophila pneumoniae, CMV pneumonitis, coccidioidomycosis, collinsonia canadensis, coronavirus, corynebacterium diphtheriae, coxsackie A virus, coxsackie B virus, cryptococcus, cytomegalovirus, deep neck infection, diphtheria, Duke’s disease, ebola, echovirus, encephalitis lethargica, epiglottitis, Epstein-Barr virus, francisella tularensis, fungal pharyngitis, fusobacterium necrophorum, fusobacterium, gonococcal pharyngitis, gonorrhea, Group A streptococcal infection, Group C streptococci, Group G streptococci, haemophilus influenzae, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, herpangina, herpes simplex virus, herpesviridae, histoplasma, HIV, human parainfluenza viruses, influenza, Kikuchi-Fujimoto disease, klebsiella, laryngitis, lassa fever, Lemierre’s syndrome, lymphadenitis, metapneumovirus, moraxella catarrhalis, mumps, mycobacterium, mycoplasma pneumoniae, neisseria gonorrheae, non-specific urethritis, oral candidiasis, PANDAS, paracoccidioides, parainfluenza, pasteurella, pemphigus, periodic fever, aphthous stomatitis, pharyngitis and adenitis, peritonsillar abscess, pharyngoconjunctival fever, pneumococcus, poliovirus, Q fever, rabies, rat bite fever, respiratory syncitial virus, retropharyngeal abscess, rhinosporidium, rhinovirus, scarlet fever, scrumpox, severe acute respiratory syndrome, sinusitis, staphylococcus aureus, strep throat, streptococcal infections, streptococcus pneumoniae, streptococcus pyogenes, streptococcus suis, syphillis, the clap, tonsillitis, toxemia, tracheitis, tracheobronchitis, treponema pallidum, tularemia, upper respiratory tract infection
Musculoskeletal / Ortho No underlying causes
Neurologic Chronic fatigue syndrome, encephalitis lethargica
Nutritional / Metabolic Ariboflavinosis
Obstetric/Gynecologic Cervical phlegmon
Oncologic Laryngeal cancer, leukemia, lymphoma, lymphoproliferative disorders, nasopharyngeal carcinoma
Ophthalmologic No underlying causes
Overdose / Toxicity Cocaine, toxins
Psychiatric Chronic fatigue syndrome, PANDAS
Pulmonary Acute viral nasopharyngitis (common cold), CMV pneumonitis, epiglottitis, hantavirus pulmonary syndrome, hay fever, laryngitis, severe acute respiratory syndrome, tracheitis, tracheobronchitis, upper respiratory tract infection
Renal / Electrolyte No underlying causes
Rheum / Immune / Allergy Allergic pharyngitis, ankylosing spondylitis, arthralgia, Behcets syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, hay fever, immunocompromised host, lymphadenitis, lymphoproliferative disorders, periodic fever syndrome, platinosis, Still’s disease, TNF receptor associated periodic syndrome
Sexual No underlying causes
Trauma No underlying causes
Urologic No underlying causes
Miscellaneous Foreign body

[2][3]

Causes in Alphabetical Order

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References

  1. Pichichero ME (September 1998). “Group A beta-hemolytic streptococcal infections”. Pediatr Rev. 19 (9): 291–302. doi:10.1542/pir.19-9-291. PMID 9745311.
  2. Murray RC, Chennupati SK (2012) Chronic streptococcal and non-streptococcal pharyngitis. Infect Disord Drug Targets 12 (4):281-5. PMID: 22338589
  3. Kline JA, Runge JW (1994) Streptococcal pharyngitis: a review of pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. J Emerg Med 12 (5):665-80. PMID: 7989695

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