What is the Difference Between Sore Throat and Dry Cough

The key difference between sore throat and dry cough is that sore throat is the pain, scratchiness, or irritation in the throat, which often worsens when swallowing, while dry cough or tricky cough is a type of cough that does not bring up any phlegm or mucus.

Sore throat and dry cough are very common respiratory infections caused by viruses, bacteria, and fungi. These two symptoms often appear with diseases such as flu, common cold, and other upper respiratory infections (sinus infection, strep throat). They can also be symptoms of non-infectious causes such as allergies and environmental irritants.

1. Overview and Key Difference
2. What is Sore Throat
3. What is Dry Cough
4. Similarities – Sore Throat vs Dry Cough
5. Sore Throat vs Dry Cough in Tabular Form
6. Summary – Sore Throat vs Dry Cough

What is Sore Throat?

Sore throat is the pain, scratchiness, or irritation of the throat, which often worsens when swallowing. The most common cause is a viral infection like cold, flu, mononucleosis, measles, chickenpox, COID-19 disease, and croup. Normally, a sore throat caused by a virus resolves on its own. Many bacterial infections, such as Streptococcus pyogenes infection, can also cause a sore throat. The other causes of sore throat include allergies, dry cough, irritants, muscle strain, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), HIV infection, and tumors. Moreover, in rare cases, an infected area of tissue called abscess or swelling of the small cartilage” lid” that covers the windpipe can also cause a sore throat.

The symptoms of sore throat include pain or a scratchy sensation in the throat, pain that worsens with swallowing or talking, difficulty in swallowing, sore, swollen glands in the neck or jaw, swollen, red tonsils, white patches or pus on the tonsils, and a hoarse or muffled voice. Infections causing a sore throat might result in other signs and symptoms, including fever, cough, runny nose, sneezing, body aches, headaches, nausea, and vomiting. A sore throat can be diagnosed through physical examination, medical history, and throat swabs. The treatments for a sore throat include acetaminophen for pain relief, antibiotics, antiviral medications, lifestyle and home remedies such as resting, drinking fluid, trying comforting foods and beverages, gargling with salt water, humidifying the air, considering lozenges and hard candies, avoiding irritants, and staying at home till no longer sick.

What is Dry Cough?

Dry cough or tricky cough is a type of cough that does not bring up any phlegm or mucus. The causes of dry cough include asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), postnasal drip, viral infection (common cold), upper respiratory infections (sinusitis, pharyngitis, tracheobronchitis), allergies (pollen), environmental irritants (smoke, pollution, dust, mold, and pollen), CE inhibitors (enalapril and lisinopril), whooping cough, collapsed lung, lung cancer, heart failure, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. The symptoms of dry cough include a nagging tickle in the throat, an absence of mucus, a cough that sound unproductive, poor sleep, and an absence of wheezing or congestion.

Dry cough can be diagnosed through physical examination and medical history. Furthermore, dry cough can be treated through oral demulcents, cough suppressants (dextromethorphan), sucking on throat lozenges to moisturize and soothe irritated throat tissue, increased fluids and salt water, avoiding triggers, and treating underlying conditions.

What are the Similarities Between Sore Throat and Dry Cough?

Sore throat and dry cough are often very common symptoms of respiratory infections by viruses, bacteria, and fungi.
Both symptoms can also be caused by non-infectious causes.
Both symptoms can be diagnosed through similar conditions.
They are treated by over the counter medicines and lifestyle and home remedies.

What is the Difference Between Sore Throat and Dry Cough?

Sore throat is the pain, scratchiness, or irritation of the throat, which often worsens when swallowing, while dry cough or tricky cough is a type of cough which does not bring up any phlegm or mucus. This is the key difference between sore throat and dry cough.

Furthermore, the causes of sore throat include viral infections (cold, flu, mononucleosis, measles, chickenpox, COID-19 disease, croup), bacterial infections such as Streptococcus pyogenes infection, allergies, dry cough, irritants, muscle strain, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), HIV infection, tumors, abscess or swelling of the small cartilage” lid” that covers the windpipe. On the other hand, the causes of dry cough include asthma, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), postnasal drip, viral infection (common cold), upper respiratory infections (sinusitis, pharyngitis, tracheobronchitis), allergies (pollen), environmental irritants (smoke, pollution, dust, mold, and pollen), CE inhibitors (enalapril and lisinopril), whooping cough, collapsed lung, lung cancer, heart failure, and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

The following table summarizes the difference between sore throat and dry cough.

Summary – Sore Throat vs Dry Cough

Sore throat and dry cough are often very common symptoms of respiratory infections by viruses, bacteria, and fungi. They can also be caused by non-infectious causes such as allergies and environmental irritants. Sore throat is the pain, scratchiness, or irritation in the throat, which often worsens when swallowing, while dry cough or tricky cough is a type of cough which does not bring up any phlegm or mucus. This is the key difference between sore throat and dry cough.

Reference:

1. Osborn, Corinne O’Keefe. “Dry Cough: Symptoms, Causes, Treatment, Home Remedies.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 22 June 2022.
2. “Sore Throat.” Mayo Clinic, Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research, 10 June 2021.