An infectious disease that begins to develop after tonsillitis or acts as a complication after purulent tonsillitis is paratonsillitis.
Pathology is very difficult and belongs to the number of purulent abscesses - a huge amount of pus begins to form on the throat tonsils, which is located under the epithelium of the mucous membrane. The development of paratonsillitis is a process that can occur on one side of the throat or both.
Causes of disease
The main reason why paratonsillitis begins to develop is the presence of pathogenic bacteria in the human body. Most often, these are streptococci, which actively multiply under the influence of the following factors:
- Improper nutrition, which led to a lack of essential trace elements in the body,vitamins.
- Bad environmental, climatic, social living conditions.
- Leading an unhe althy lifestyle (nicotine, alcohol, drug addiction).
- The person is more AIDS, because of which he has a very weak immune system.
- There is a chronic form of diabetes.
- A person suffers from frequent inflammatory processes or exacerbations of various chronic pathologies.
- Weak immunity.
- A person has rotten molars. The infection, due to which suppuration has gone, goes to the tonsils and provokes the development of the inflammatory process.
- May result from tonsil removal.
- Incorrect treatment of purulent tonsillitis.
- Severe course of tonsillitis.
- One of the possible causes of paratonsillitis is hypothermia of the tonsils.
Also, diseases such as adenoids, caries, stomatitis can become the causes of the development of pathology. In the ICD, paratonsillitis has the code J36.
Signs of disease
The appearance of pus on the tonsils does not occur on its own. It is considered a complication. The main symptoms of paratonsillitis include the following manifestations:
- in the throat area there are painful sensations from the affected side, which are given to the ear, teeth;
- it becomes difficult to swallow food and saliva;
- there is a spasm of masticatory muscles;
- difficulty tilting or turning head due to severe pain;
- there is a feeling that there is a foreign object in the throat;
- happeningswollen lymph nodes;
- significantly increased body temperature and in severe cases can be above 40 degrees;
- a person constantly feels very tired;
- has a headache and insomnia;
- voice becomes nasal due to severe swelling, and speech is almost impossible to make out;
- bad breath;
- muscle functionality is blocked so the person cannot fully open their mouth.
During the development of this disease, other symptoms may appear that are not characteristic of it. Treatment of paratonsillitis should be done with the help of a doctor, because only a specialist after a thorough examination of the patient can make an accurate diagnosis.
Types of pathology
The disease is divided into several different types, depending on the type of inflammatory process and the place in which it began to develop. The treatment of paratonsillitis depends on this. The formation of inflammation makes it possible to distinguish the following forms of the disease:
- Edematous paratonsillitis. It occurs quite rarely. The main symptoms will be pale or completely transparent mucous membranes. Tonsils and a small uvula increase in size, you can notice a slight swelling of the palatine arches, the sky. Because of this, it may be difficult to establish the exact focus of inflammation.
- Abscessing paratonsillitis. In this case, the development of an abscess occurs. Through the mucous membrane, it is perfectly visible where there is an accumulation of pus.
- Infiltrative paratonsillitis. This type of disease is manifested by severe swelling of the tonsils and adjacent tissues. At the site of the development of the inflammatory process, the palate is deformed and one can notice its asymmetry. If the infiltrative form of this disease is not treated, then it turns into a purulent form. It is important to know that the ICD-10 code for paratonsillitis is J36.
Types of disease by location
According to the symptoms of paratonsillitis and localization of the inflammatory process, different types of this pathology are distinguished:
- Front. You can clearly see the asymmetry of the soft palate, severe swelling of the tonsils. Microbes enter the tissues of loose fiber directly from the tonsils, which provokes the development of inflammation. This type of paratonsillitis is more common than others.
- Rear. There is inflammation and development of swelling in the back darling.
- Lower. The inflammatory process begins to develop slightly below the location of the tonsils. Also, the lower part of the anterior arch is often inflamed. From the side of the lesion, the tongue may hurt a little.
- Side. This type of paratonsillitis is less common than others. The inflammatory process develops in the tissues of loose fiber from the outside in relation to the tonsils.
Acute paratonsillitis
It can develop both directly inside the throat and from the outside of the neck. Symptoms include severe redness and swelling of the skin. In some cases, you can clearly see the lesion, becausean abscess begins to form in it.
If the abscess opens without outside intervention on the 5-7th day of development of acute paratonsillitis, this means that the pathology is on the wane. But more often you can’t do without surgical intervention, because there is a big risk that the inflammatory process will begin to affect deeper tissues and the person’s condition will noticeably worsen. Treatment of paratonsillitis abscess should be started immediately after the first signs appear.
Disease diagnosis
ICD paratonsillitis code - J36. In order to be able to choose the most effective treatment, it is worth, first of all, to conduct a thorough examination and diagnosis of the patient. It includes the following:
- study by the doctor of the anamnesis and complaints of the patient;
- determining exactly which signs appear more clearly than others;
- clarification from the patient whether he was sick shortly before with tonsillitis or a purulent form of tonsillitis and how the treatment took place;
- estimate the approximate time when the patient began to feel much worse;
- then an external inspection is carried out;
- Pharingoscopy in progress.
If, after the examination, the doctor is still not completely sure of the diagnosis, then an ultrasound or computed tomography is performed. If necessary, consultation with a therapist may be necessary.
Treatment of paratonsillitis
If, after the diagnosis, such a diagnosis as paratonsillitis was made, then a specially selected therapy is carried out.
The treatment regimen will depend entirely on the condition of the patient and what form of paratonsillitis is present. It is important to follow all the recommendations of a specialist. Paratonsillitis code according to ICD-10 - J36.
Treatment of edematous and infiltrative form
These forms of pathology are treated with injections of antibiotics. It can be "Penicillin", "Erythromycin" or "Cefazolin". As an additional therapy, you need to gargle with antiseptic preparations as often as possible. Antipyretic drugs are used to normalize body temperature. Pain is relieved with analgesics. All medications are prescribed by a doctor.
If there is no abscess
This form of paratonsillitis is successfully treated at home. In the pharmacy, the patient must purchase herbs, tinctures and solutions prescribed by the doctor.
You need to gargle several times a day and then the risk of complications is minimal. You can use traditional medicine and physiotherapy will be an excellent addition, which will speed up the recovery process several times.
Treatment of paratonsillitis with abscess
In the event of an abscess, conservative and, even more so, alternative treatment will not bring any result. Don't waste your time on this. The abscess is removed surgically.
The operation is done only under local anesthesia. After the procedure, the affected area is washed as often as possible with special disinfectants. A photo of paratonsillitis will allowyou to be convinced of the seriousness of this disease.
To open an abscess, there must be certain indications. These include:
- abscess formed on the side and very difficult to treat without surgery;
- after the first operation, the patient did not begin to feel better;
- the inflammatory process went further and began to develop in the tissues of the chest, neck or throat;
- tonsillitis or purulent tonsillitis occur very often.
After the operation, you also need to take antibiotics and resort to physiotherapy. With their help, you can quickly restore the immune system after paratonsillitis and surgery.
Folk treatments
In situations where the purulent form of paratonsillitis has not yet begun to develop, traditional medicine can be used as an additional therapy. The following recipes can be called the most effective:
- Rosehip with honey. With the help of this tool, you can well strengthen the immune system. Take 60 grams of dry rose hips, chop and pour into a thermos. Pour boiling water over and insist for 4 hours. Then fold the gauze in several layers and strain the infusion. Take 3 times a day and be sure to seize with a teaspoon of honey. The course of treatment is at least three weeks.
- Mixture of medicinal plants. Thoroughly mix willow bark, inflorescences of Veronica officinalis, lime blossom in the same amount. Take 40 grams of the resulting mixture andbrew in a glass of boiling water. Leave for 40 minutes, then strain and gargle with the resulting decoction twice a day. The course of treatment is 14 days.
- Inhalation with honey. Boil half a liter of water in a kettle. Add 40 grams of liquid honey. In order not to burn yourself, cover the neck with a handkerchief or towel. Vapors should be inhaled for 10 minutes. To get positive results from such treatment, it is enough to carry out 2 inhalations per day. The course of treatment is 5 days.
Remember that traditional medicines act as complementary therapy. Do not replace it with the main treatment. You can use traditional medicine recipes only after consulting your doctor.
Complications of paratonsillitis
As a result of the development of paratonsillitis, the following complications may occur:
- Increased swelling and damage to the larynx. The airways are blocked, resulting in suffocation.
- Sepsis may develop - blood poisoning.
- Mediastinitis occurs - parts of the chest that are close to vital organs become inflamed.
- An abscess begins to develop in the tissues of the neck.
Also, paratonsillitis can cause problems in the cardiovascular system, skin diseases, allergic reactions, rheumatism.
