Pharyngitis and pharyngolaryngitis are clinically distinct. Pharyngolaryngitis is most commonly seen in viral pharyngolaryngitis, which is an infectious inflammation of the throat caused mainly by coxsackievirus infection. In contrast, pharyngitis is mainly seen in acute pharyngitis or chronic pharyngitis. The cause of acute pharyngitis is usually associated with Streptococcus b haemolyticus infection. Chronic pharyngitis is mainly caused by a decrease in the immunity of the patient’s local mucosa and incomplete healing of acute pharyngitis, or irritation of the tonsils and inflammation of the upper respiratory tract. So the main difference between pharyngitis and pharyngolaryngitis is usually due to the difference between bacterial or viral infections. Gastric acid reflux can also cause inflammation of the throat, which is better treated by suppressing gastric acid, while treatment of pharyngolaryngitis usually requires antiviral therapy. Therefore, when suffering from pharyngitis or pharyngolaryngitis, an electronic laryngoscopy should be performed promptly to rule out the cause.