Acute pharyngitis and chronic pharyngitis are relatively common otolaryngological diseases, with certain differences between them.

First, in terms of the onset of the disease, chronic pharyngitis has a longer duration, generally more than three months, and is recurrent; whereas acute pharyngitis typically has a sudden onset and clinically usually lasts no more than a week.

There are also differences in clinical symptoms. The main manifestations of acute pharyngitis are sudden throat pain and a sensation of a foreign body in the throat, and some patients may also develop a fever. In contrast, chronic pharyngitis typically presents with a sensation of a foreign body and pain in the throat, which are generally not very severe and do not lead to fever.

The third point is the cause of the disease. Acute pharyngitis is generally caused by acute viral or bacterial infections, leading to congestion and swelling of the mucosa in the throat. Chronic pharyngitis, on the other hand, involves non-bacterial, non-viral inflammatory responses.