Bumps on Back of the Throat
What are those tiny red bumps at the back of your throat? Actually it is very hard to tell unless we know the severity of these red bumps. There are large sized taste buds on both sides of the tongue which carries grooves in them. Normally these grooves appear pink or red and look like red bumps but many times the case is different. Usually we take these red bumps as minor sore throat problem, just an indication of a little inflammation but sometimes these red bumps are the signs of some serious health problem.
Basically red bumps on the back of throat that gives you throat irritation are a sign that your body is fighting against some kind of infection by creating mucus. But in actual there are lot of causes of these bumps in the back of throat. Here we are going to discuss all of these causes of red bumps in throat in detail.
Causes of Red Bumps on Back of Throat
There are a lot of causes of strep throat, let us have a look at some of them:
- Strep Throat
- Tonsil Stones
- Pharyngitis
- Throat Herpes
- Oral Candidiasis
- Mononucleosis
- Tonsillitis
- Postnasal Drip
- HPV and Oropharyngeal Cancer
- Scarlet Fever
- Toxic Shock Syndrome
- Chicken Pox
- STD and HIV
Here we are going to give complete details about some of the causes of red bumps at the back of throat.
1. Strep Throat
Many of us have suffered from strep throat which is a contagious bacterial infection that results in swelling and inflammation at the back of throat and are a reason of tonsils. The bacterial group that causes this inflammation is called Streptococcus bacteria. This infection is commonly found between the ages of 5-15 years and can easily spread from one person to another through cough and sneezing.
Symptoms of Strep Throat
The symptoms of strep throat varies from person to person but usually the basic symptoms of strep throat are as follows:
- High fever
- White patches on back of throat
- Lowered body temperature
- No appetite
- Swelling of neck lymph nodes
- Stuck throat causing trouble in swallowing
Usually all these symptoms take five days to appear after the attack of bacteria. But this fact should be kept in mind that sore throat never lead to strep infection all the time.
Diagnosing Strep Throat
Once you get a sore throat and visit your doctor, the immediate steps taken by him will be to check your throat for the following infections:
- Minor inflammation
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Strep throat
If the symptoms of strep throat are positive, the physician will promptly prescribe to undertake the strep throat tests. A sample will be taken from the back of throat with the help of cotton swab and immediate testing will be done. Within a few days everything will become clear.
Medication for Strep Throat
Usually antibiotics are prescribed by the doctor to eliminate any kind of bacteria presence or infections. The most common antibiotic given to treat strep throat is penicillin and amoxicillin.
2. Scarlet Fever
Sometimes red bumps at the back of your throat are because of scarlet fever. Scarlet fever also known as Scarlatina is a disease caused by a type of bacteria that release toxin in the body of the victim. Usually kids are infected by this disease.
Causes of Scarlet Fever
Streptococcus pyogenes is the bacteria which causes scarlet fever. The disease starts when this bacterium releases toxins in the body. This disease spreads through coughing or sneezing of the affected person in open air.
Symptoms of Scarlet Fever
The symptoms of scarlet fever usually appear one to four days after infection. Here is a list of some of the symptoms of scarlet fever:
- Having body temperature above 101 degree F
- Lower body temperature (chills)
- Severe headache
- Red and white patches on throat
- Nausea and vomits
- Rashes on face
- Pale lips
- Red dotted white tongue
Medication for Scarlet Fever
Antibiotics are the only remedy to get rid of scarlet fever, as these antibiotics kill infection causing bacteria. Usually aspirin and Ibuprofen are taken as the best medication for this disease. Children between 5-15 years of age are mostly infected by this disease.
3. Tonsil Stones
Tonsil stones also cause red bumps on the back of throat. These tonsil stones are yellow or white formations that are found inside the tonsils. Usually these stones are of very small size just equal to a pea. Following are some of the symptoms of tonsils stones:
- Red or white debris on the back of throat
- Sore throat
- Difficult to swallow
- Swollen tonsils
Smaller tonsil stones are quite invisible and the potential cause of these tonsil stones are because of bad dental health, expanded tonsils and sinus related issues. Tonsil stones can be avoided by getting them removed. The removal process can be done by laser treatment or coblation cryptolysis (usage of radio waves to remove tonsil stones). Apart from these, surgical removal is also recommended by many of the doctors.
4. HIV Infection
Patients infected by HIV have a very weak immune system which eventually causes these red bumps to appear on the back of throat. These red sores in throat under the effect of HIV are very critical to treat.
These red bumps are called herpes simplex and they can be treated with the following medication:
If we talk about medical treatment of red herpes or dry tongue caused by HIV virus, doctor usually prescribe acyclovir as the basic or initial treatment. The benefit of this medication is that it prevents red bumps from spreading more. Oral herpes are contagious so sharing food and water with others is strictly prohibited.
5. STD
STD is a disease that is caused by sexually transmitted infection. There are multiple reasons of getting STI infection as the virus can be transmitted from host to recipient through oral, anal, intercourse or even genital touching. Some of the STD infections are easily curable if treated in time while a delay in the treatment of STD infection sometimes lead to HIV transmission.
The signs and symptoms of STD infection are as mentioned below:
- Swollen lymph nodes
- Red /white bumps at the back of throat
- Weight loss
- Rash
- Sore throat
- Headache
STD virus strongly destroys the patient’s immune system and show drastic results if not treated in time.
6. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Infection
Human Papillomavirus or HPV is a sexually transmitted disease that badly affects the back of throat like the tongue and tonsils. Genital warts and cervical cancer in women is also caused by HPV. Red bumps or white scars on the tongue and back of throat can be easily recognized in a patient having HPV infection. Research has shown that almost 7% of Americans aging 14 to 69 are found having tonsillar HPV and usually women are more infected by this infection.
Signs and Symptoms of HPV Infection:
Basically there are no specific signs and symptoms of HPV infection and they are not transmitted from the host to other people. Sometimes HPV infection also leads to oral cancer. Following are the symptoms that indicate that the affected has cancer cells growing in their body:
- Trouble in swallowing
- Blood coming up with cough
- Sore throat
- Red patches or lump on tonsils
- Swelling in jaw
- Lump in the cheek
Treatment of HPV Infection
The treatment of HPV infection is quite tough because a person affected by this disease has to undergo chemotherapy or radiation treatment which itself are the most complicated treatments. These treatments are used to kill the cancer cells prevailing in the victim’s body. These treatments are apparently found very effective to treat all kinds of HPV positive and HPV negative tumors.
7. Tonsillitis
One of the major causes of red humps on the back of throat is tonsils which are the two lymph nodes on the back of throat. These tonsils are capable of preventing the body from any kind of infection. If any of these tonsils get infected, it results in tonsillitis.
Tonsillitis is usually found in children from early childhood age till teenage. Multiple kind of viruses are the cause of tonsillitis. The signs related to tonsillitis include swollen throat, throat pain, high fever and a runny nose.
Symptoms of Tonsillitis
There are several signs and symptoms related to Tonsillitis, let us have a look at some of them:
- Bad breath.
- Fever
- Earache
- Swollen throat
- Red/white bumps at the back of throat
- Swollen lymph nodes
- White and yellow spots on tonsils
- Headache
- Stiff neck
Treatment of Tonsillitis
Though tonsillitis is easily medicated but if any kind of negligence is practiced in curing tonsillitis, they may result to complicated problems. Tonsillitis can be medicated easily through a course of antibiotics and if desired results are not found, doctors usually recommend a tonsillitis surgery. It is a minor kind of operation where infected tonsillitis is removed from the patient’s body.
Some Home Remedies to Get Rid of Red Bumps
The best way to treat red bumps at the back of throat is to take immediate action as soon as possible by using some natural home remedies to get rid of them. It has been found that it is quite possible to recover from these red bumps by treating them at the very initial stage.
Here are some of the best and simple home remedies to get rid of these red bumps at the back of throat.
- Salt Water Gargle: A very simple and quick remedy to avoid red bumps in throat is to gargle with warm salty water. Only half teaspoon of salt mixed in one glass of water is effective enough to get you out of this problem. A 30 second gargle will work for you.
- Herbal Remedies: There are a lot of herbs that work effectively in curing red bumps at the back of throat. Some of the good examples are South African Geranium, goldenseal, Oregon grape, gold threads etc. All these herbs and plants are rich in alkaloid berberine which is the best solution for sore throat and red bumps. Besides them tea made from ginger and cinnamon is also considered as quite beneficial for back throat bumps.
- Probiotics: To activate the immune system in body and stop overgrowth of Candida, some high quality probiotic supplements are necessarily required. But before selecting any probiotic as self medication of these red bumps it is essential that one should consult some doctor for the instructions and regular dosage set up.
- Stay Away from Dehydration: Liquid is an essential ingredient to develop a strong immune system. So, adequate amount of water intake is very necessary. Such kind of foods should be taken that carry enough amount of water in them. Fresh vegetable juices and smoothies are also good to avoid any kind of red bumps on the back of throat. In short, never let your body dehydrated.
Besides all the above mentioned home remedies there are many more effective ways of avoiding red bumps at the back of throat. Need of the day is that the importance and the damage that these red bumps can cause to your health should never be neglected. An immediate medication or simple home remedy should be undertaken in order to control situation. If the symptoms still occur the most qualified doctor should be consulted to give proper treatment.
Pictures
Take a look at some of the pictures of red bumps on the back of throat:
