cut throat

English translation: patient's description of a severely painful sore throat

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:cut throat
Selected answer:patient's description of a severely painful sore throat
Entered by: Charles Davis

07:33 Nov 22, 2017
English language (monolingual) [PRO]
Medical - Medical (general)
English term or phrase: cut throat
What does "cut throat" mean in the sense of a symptom of the throat?
Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 01:18
patient's description of a severely painful sore throat
Explanation:
This is not a formal medical term and I don't think it's possible to be precise about it, but I have found some indications that may help.

I find "cut throat" among a list of sore throat symptoms reported by patients. It is the last item in the list, which starts with "scratchy, tickly, itchy throat" and "dry throat" and ranges down to "stabbing sharp pain in throat", "burning and very painful throat", "lump in throat" and finally "cut throat".
http://www.grip-initiative.org/media/7265/grip_report_2012.p... (fig. 1, p. 4).

These data are discussed in more detail in the following study, "A Questionnaire-Based Study in 12 Countries to investigate the Drivers of Antibiotic-Seeking Behavior for Sore Throat". Patients' descriptions of their symptoms are related here to the degree of pain and discomfort, and "cut throat" has the highest rating on the scale; in other words, it is used to describe the most painful kind of sore throat:

"Using a sore throat pain/discomfort scale of 1 to 5 (where 1=dull/annoying, 2=sore/troublesome, 3=hurting/miserable, 4=aching/intense and 5=throbbing/unbearable), respondents described their last sore throat with a mean score of 2.8. There was a relationship between the symptoms described and the level of throat pain/discomfort (Figure 1). For example, mild discomfort was associated with symptoms such as ‘dry throat’ (mean discomfort: 2.2) and ‘scratchy, tickly, itchy throat’ (mean discomfort: 2.3), while phrases such as ‘stabbing, sharp pain’ (mean discomfort: 3.3) and ‘cut throat’ (mean discomfort: 3.4)"
https://www.jscimedcentral.com/FamilyMedicine/familymedicine...

So "cut throat" corresponds to the highest pain level.

In terms of the type of pain, it is perhaps significant that "cut throat" is distinct from "stabbing, sharp pain". It presumably therefore describes pain that is severe but continuous, rather than momentary.

Common sense would suggest that by using this term patients mean that they have the sensation that their throat is being cut inside. This seems to be confirmed by the following online enquiries:

"Everytime I swallow something it feels like my throat is being cut what is it?"
Answer: probably viral sore throat
"Last night I awoke felt like my throat was being cut on one side and it made it so I could not swallow"
"I woke up with a sharp pain in my throat. Like a cut in inside my throat. Hard to swallow."
https://www.healthtap.com/topics/throat-cut

Of course it is possible for the throat to be literally cut or lacerated inside by an object that has been swallowed, and "cut throat" can obviously denote that, but I presume that in your case it is describing pain resulting from an infection.
Selected response from:

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 01:18
Grading comment
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



SUMMARY OF ALL EXPLANATIONS PROVIDED
3 +4patient's description of a severely painful sore throat
Charles Davis
5doorgesneden keel
Gerard Kingma


Discussion entries: 4





  

Answers


14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 5/5
doorgesneden keel


Explanation:
As in a murder case, I'd say, synonym to slit throat, but could you provide context? As an adjective 'cut-throat' means 'cutting edge' or highly advanced.

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Note added at 16 mins (2017-11-22 07:50:40 GMT)
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...or fiercely competitive, as in 'the cut-throat world of fashion'.

Gerard Kingma
Local time: 01:18
Works in field
Native speaker of: Native in DutchDutch
Notes to answerer
Asker: No, my question relates to a symptom.

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56 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +4
patient's description of a severely painful sore throat


Explanation:
This is not a formal medical term and I don't think it's possible to be precise about it, but I have found some indications that may help.

I find "cut throat" among a list of sore throat symptoms reported by patients. It is the last item in the list, which starts with "scratchy, tickly, itchy throat" and "dry throat" and ranges down to "stabbing sharp pain in throat", "burning and very painful throat", "lump in throat" and finally "cut throat".
http://www.grip-initiative.org/media/7265/grip_report_2012.p... (fig. 1, p. 4).

These data are discussed in more detail in the following study, "A Questionnaire-Based Study in 12 Countries to investigate the Drivers of Antibiotic-Seeking Behavior for Sore Throat". Patients' descriptions of their symptoms are related here to the degree of pain and discomfort, and "cut throat" has the highest rating on the scale; in other words, it is used to describe the most painful kind of sore throat:

"Using a sore throat pain/discomfort scale of 1 to 5 (where 1=dull/annoying, 2=sore/troublesome, 3=hurting/miserable, 4=aching/intense and 5=throbbing/unbearable), respondents described their last sore throat with a mean score of 2.8. There was a relationship between the symptoms described and the level of throat pain/discomfort (Figure 1). For example, mild discomfort was associated with symptoms such as ‘dry throat’ (mean discomfort: 2.2) and ‘scratchy, tickly, itchy throat’ (mean discomfort: 2.3), while phrases such as ‘stabbing, sharp pain’ (mean discomfort: 3.3) and ‘cut throat’ (mean discomfort: 3.4)"
https://www.jscimedcentral.com/FamilyMedicine/familymedicine...

So "cut throat" corresponds to the highest pain level.

In terms of the type of pain, it is perhaps significant that "cut throat" is distinct from "stabbing, sharp pain". It presumably therefore describes pain that is severe but continuous, rather than momentary.

Common sense would suggest that by using this term patients mean that they have the sensation that their throat is being cut inside. This seems to be confirmed by the following online enquiries:

"Everytime I swallow something it feels like my throat is being cut what is it?"
Answer: probably viral sore throat
"Last night I awoke felt like my throat was being cut on one side and it made it so I could not swallow"
"I woke up with a sharp pain in my throat. Like a cut in inside my throat. Hard to swallow."
https://www.healthtap.com/topics/throat-cut

Of course it is possible for the throat to be literally cut or lacerated inside by an object that has been swallowed, and "cut throat" can obviously denote that, but I presume that in your case it is describing pain resulting from an infection.

Charles Davis
Spain
Local time: 01:18
Native speaker of: English
PRO pts in category: 78

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Alžbeta Takácsová
5 mins
  -> Thank you, Alžbeta :)

agree  Morad Seif
45 mins
  -> Thank you, Morad :)

agree  Mark Nathan
2 hrs
  -> Thanks, Mark :)

agree  acetran
5 hrs
  -> Thanks, acetran :)

neutral  Lirka: not so sure about it -- never heard it in my medical school/training years
2 days 9 hrs
  -> I have never heard it either. It seems to be largely confined to the asker's source, but the related reference I have cited is unequivocal.
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