Is nasopharyngitis pharyngitis or rhinitis?

Written by Xu Qing Tian
Otolaryngology
Updated on April 23, 2025
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Nasopharyngitis is caused by chronic inflammation in the nasal cavity of the patient, which leads to sore throat, burning sensation, rhinorrhea, and other related symptoms at the junction of the posterior nostrils and the nasopharynx. Nasopharyngitis is a borderline disease between pharyngitis and rhinitis. The primary treatment methods include antibiotic anti-inflammatory symptomatic treatment and steroids to reduce mucosal edema. Additionally, patients with rhinitis should avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, and consuming spicy and irritating foods in daily life to prevent worsening of nasopharyngitis symptoms. (Medication should be used under the guidance of a doctor.)

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Written by Li Rui
Otolaryngology
1min 22sec home-news-image

The difference between acute pharyngitis and chronic pharyngitis.

The difference between acute pharyngitis and chronic pharyngitis mainly lies in the following aspects: The first is the onset time. Acute pharyngitis generally refers to a sudden inflammatory reaction of the throat, usually lasting for a short duration, about a week, and generally does not exceed a week. Conversely, chronic pharyngitis lasts longer, possibly recurring with repeated throat pain and a foreign body sensation, but the symptoms are generally not very severe, lasting about three months or more, primarily characterized by repeated occurrences. The second aspect is the symptoms, which differ in the mildness of throat pain. Chronic pharyngitis generally involves mild throat pain, and there may also be a sensation of a foreign body in the throat. Acute pharyngitis, on the other hand, is mainly characterized by acute throat pain, with relatively short duration but severe symptoms. Third, it can be determined through a routine blood test. Acute pharyngitis often involves acute bacterial or viral infections, possibly with elevated white blood cells. Chronic pharyngitis generally results from non-bacterial, non-viral infections, with blood tests usually being normal. These aspects together can generally provide a basic diagnosis.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
1min 21sec home-news-image

The differences between chronic pharyngitis and acute pharyngitis

There is a fundamental difference between the two; chronic pharyngitis is a chronic inflammatory disease, while acute pharyngitis is an acute inflammatory disease. Furthermore, the symptoms of chronic pharyngitis are not very prominent in clinical settings, presenting only as a foreign body sensation or other discomforts. In contrast, the symptoms of acute pharyngitis are quite significant, such as sore throat, and may even include systemic symptoms like chills and fever. Thirdly, during examination of chronic pharyngitis, one can observe congestion of the pharyngeal mucosa, which is a type of chronic congestion. However, the congestion in acute inflammation is acute and very pronounced. There are also significant differences in treatment. For chronic inflammation, the clinical approach mainly involves administering heat-clearing and detoxifying traditional Chinese medicines, and sometimes no medication is used at all; just focus on hydrating locally without the need for any special medication. In contrast, acute pharyngitis requires medication to manage the acute inflammatory symptoms. In summary, there are fundamental differences between chronic and acute pharyngitis, whether it is in symptoms, treatment, or the pathological state of the mucosa.

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Written by Li Mao Cai
Otolaryngology
1min 2sec home-news-image

What are the symptoms of pharyngitis?

There are many symptoms of pharyngitis, and the specific symptoms can vary from person to person. The most common ones include the following. The first is a foreign body sensation, which is a sensation of a foreign object in the throat, feeling like there is always something that cannot be coughed up or swallowed, which is very typical. Another one is the empty swallow syndrome, meaning that some people feel like there is something that cannot be swallowed when swallowing saliva without food. Empty swallowing refers to just swallowing saliva in this way, feeling more and more like there’s something stuck as one swallows, which is similar to the foreign body sensation and is also a manifestation of the swallowing action. The third symptom is a dry and itchy throat. Some people also experience symptoms such as feeling nauseous and wanting to gag when brushing their teeth in the morning. Therefore, the symptoms of pharyngitis do not manifest exactly the same in everyone; some people may experience several symptoms, while others may have one predominant symptom.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
1min 9sec home-news-image

Does pharyngitis spread?

Pharyngitis refers to the acute and chronic inflammation of the pharyngeal mucosa, submucosal tissue, and local lymphatic tissue. Clinically, it mainly presents as a sore throat or a foreign body sensation in the throat, among other discomforts. Acute pharyngitis should be noted for its certain contagiousness, primarily due to viral infections, bacterial infections, or a combination of both, thus it is contagious. Appropriate precautions such as isolation measures, like wearing masks, should be considered. As for chronic pharyngitis, it is not contagious, so special isolation measures are not necessary. Regarding pharyngitis accompanying other diseases, such as reflux pharyngitis which may also involve Helicobacter pylori infection of the stomach, some literature reports suggest that Helicobacter pylori can be contagious during chronic pharyngitis, but this has not been fully confirmed and is only based on some reports. In summary, acute pharyngitis is confirmed to be contagious, while chronic pharyngitis is currently not contagious.

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Written by Deng Bang Yu
Otolaryngology
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Is acute pharyngitis contagious?

Acute pharyngitis is an acute infectious inflammation of the pharyngeal mucosa, submucosal tissue, and local lymphatic tissue. Acute pharyngitis can occur independently or as part of an upper respiratory tract infection. In its early stages, acute pharyngitis is primarily a viral infection, or a mixed infection of viruses and bacteria. In the later stages of acute pharyngitis, bacterial infection often occurs secondarily. Acute pharyngitis is contagious and tends to occur mainly in winter or spring. The contagion is not by reverse transmission but is generally infectious. Wearing masks or avoiding close contact can generally prevent it, and special isolation measures are usually unnecessary for prevention.