Whether throat clearing is pharyngitis or Tourette’s syndrome can be distinguished from the local manifestations and concomitant symptoms.
1. Local manifestations: pharyngitis is the inflammation of the pharynx caused by congestion, edema and exudation and follicular hyperplasia of the posterior wall of the pharynx, and the child will have an obvious sense of foreign body, which will lead to the movement of throat clearing to remove it. Children with Tourette’s syndrome do not have inflammation in the pharynx and do not have the above symptoms. Throat clearing is an involuntary and sudden behavior.
2. Concomitant symptoms: Children usually have dry throat, sore throat, foreign body sensation, etc., which is considered to be pharyngitis. Children with Tourette’s syndrome do not have the above symptoms, but if the child has twitching of the eyes, mouth, ears, or other parts of the limbs, accompanied by obscene language, such children are considered to have Tourette’s syndrome.
Parents are advised to go to the hospital if they find it difficult to differentiate between pharyngitis and Tourette’s syndrome, so as to avoid delaying the treatment.