White Spots on Throat can be caused by various conditions. Most of these conditions are benign and do not harm the individual in any way. White spots on throat are usually easily treated by medications prescribed by the physician. The individual needs to keep a note of when the symptoms first began and whether they tend to get better or worse with time.
Infection is the primary cause of White Spots on Throat but it can be best assessed by an ENT physician. This article gives a brief overview of some of the causes of White Spots on the Throat.
What are the Causes of White Spots on Throat?
As stated above, infection is the primary cause of White Spots on the Throat. These infections can be caused by bacteria, fungi, or a virus. Some of the infections that may cause White Spots on Throat are:
Strep Throat
This is a common condition which affects almost everyone, especially in the winter months or when you have some extremely cold fluid like a cold drink or a chilled beer. Strep throat or sore throat could also be caused by infection. People with strep throat often tend to have White Spots on Throat along with other symptoms like nausea, vomiting, pain in the abdomen, fever, painful swallowing, swelling of the neck glands, headaches, and in some cases rashes along with White Spots on Throat.
Infectious Mononucleosis
This is an extremely contagious viral infection which also tends to cause White Spots on Throat. Some of the symptoms associated with Infectious Mononucleosis are fever, lethargy, tonsillar enlargement, and sore throat. People with mono may also have swollen lymph glands.
Oropharyngeal Candidiasis
This is yet another fungal infection which tends to cause White Spots on Throat. Also known by the name of oral thrush, this condition is mostly seen in babies and people with a compromised immune state. Some of the symptoms of oral thrush include redness of the skin, sore throat, painful swallowing, lesions on the lips or floor of the mouth.
Oral Herpes
This is yet another viral infection that can cause White Spots on Throat. There are two types of herpes virus the HSV-1 and HSV-2. HSV-1 is the most common of the two and causes lesions on the lip, inside of the cheeks, and floor of the mouth along with White Spots on Throat. It is an extremely contagious disease and is usually spread through direct contact. Some of the additional symptoms that are associated with oral herpes are itchiness in the area of the lesions, fever, flu like symptoms, and sore throat along with White Spots on Throat.