Nov 17, Kathmandu - With the increasing trend of taking painkillers and antibiotics for simple sore throats, patients have started coming to the hospital only when they have complicated throat infections. Binita Gautam of Janpath Tole, who came to Koshi Hospital, Biratnagar for treatment, said that she initially bought painkillers from a drugstore for a simple sore throat, but when the problem did not go away, she found that her throat had become infected and pus had formed when she reached the hospital. Similarly, 21-year-old Yumesh Giri, who was seen at the same hospital, also said that she came to the hospital only when she had an infection despite taking painkillers on the advice of a medical shopkeeper.

Dr. Raunak Dahal, an ear, nose and throat specialist at Koshi Hospital, says that patients usually come to the hospital only when they have an infection, as there is a growing tendency to go to the drugstore immediately after a sore throat and use painkillers and antibiotics indiscriminately. He says that patients' health is deteriorating due to indiscriminate use of medicines without paying attention to the cause of the sore throat, the stage of the infection, and the dosage of which medicine to take.

According to Dr. Dahal, throat infections are often caused by cold, food kept in the refrigerator for a long time, smoking, dust and polluted environment. When viruses or bacteria (such as 'streptococcus') enter through the air and cause infection, problems such as difficulty swallowing, extreme pain, fever and tonsillitis arise. Infections caused by bacteria also cause white pus to appear in the throat.

He has said that it is not advisable to take painkillers and antibiotics without consulting a doctor as they can affect sensitive organs such as the heart, kidneys, and liver. He has also emphasized that if antibiotics prescribed by a doctor are not taken regularly, bacteria and viruses may not die completely and may become active again and cause infection, so they should be taken in full doses.

Doctors have suggested that if throat infections are neglected, frequent tonsillitis may occur, causing pus to accumulate, and bacteria may reach the heart valve through the blood and require valve replacement, so seek immediate treatment as soon as such symptoms appear.