Symptoms:

• Ticklish throat
• Difficulty swallowing
• Hoarseness

Potential causes:

• Cold
• Infection with viruses or bacteria
• Strained vocal cords
• Smoking

What you can do yourself:

Drink lots of fluids, ideally hot tea; suck throat lozenges, e.g. Salbei Dragees (Sage Lozenges), and gargle with salt water. This moistens the mucous membranes, which is particularly important when fighting a cold, since dry mucous membranes are easy prey for viruses and bacteria.