Inflammation of the pharynx and larynx is a common disease that affects children and adults during periods of weakened immunity. More often it is diagnosed in autumn and winter, since at this time the frequency of development of respiratory pathologies increases. Pharyngitis is very rarely an independent disease. More often it is combined with other pathological conditions.
General description of pathology
The human throat is lined with a delicate mucous membrane that actively reacts to any negative factors. It is often diagnosed in middle-aged and elderly people, but it is also common in children. Moreover, the child is dominated by an acute form of the disease.
The throat is anatomically divided into several parts. Pharyngitis (inflammation of the pharynx) in most cases is of a viral or bacterial nature. According to statistics, men are diagnosed with this disease more often than women.
Reasons for appearancepathology
Causes of inflammation of the pharynx are different: inhalation of dirty or too cold air, infections, exposure to chemicals. Additional provoking factors are:
- Fungal or viral infection of the mucous membrane.
- Caries, sinusitis, rhinitis.
- Individual features of the structure of the tissues of the pharynx and larynx, as a result of which an inflammatory process often occurs.
- Long exposure to external negative factors: inhalation of smoke, exhaust gases, chemical fumes.
- Smoking, alcohol abuse.
- Allergy.
- The use of certain drugs that contribute to the dryness of the mucous membrane.
- Permanent tension in the muscles of the pharynx among teachers, singers, announcers.
- Disruption of the endocrine system, hormonal failure.
- Features of the structure of the facial part of the skull.
- Mechanical damage to mucous membranes.
- Diabetes mellitus.
- Insufficient functionality of the kidneys, liver, respiratory organs, heart.
- Reduced amount of moisture in the air.
- Hypercooling.
- Inflammation of the salivary glands.
Frequent exposure to SARS also causes inflammation of the pharynx and larynx. It is possible to treat pathology at home only after a visit to the doctor. Otherwise, complications are possible.
Classification of pathology
Inflammation of the pharynx can have different locations and causes. Before starting treatment, you need to determine the type of disease. The classification of pathology is presented in the table.
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Inflammation of the pharynx is an unpleasant disease that is accompanied by pain, sore throat and other symptoms. Without timely and proper treatment, complications may occur.
Symptoms of pathology
Common symptoms of sore throat are:
- Itchy and dry throat, moderate pain.
- General weakness.
- Slight rise in temperature.
- Dry cough.
On palpation examinationthe doctor noted an increase in the cervical lymph nodes, and the pain syndrome can spread to the ears. With chronic inflammation of the pharynx, the intensity of symptoms is small. However, the patient becomes more irritable.
Sticky mucus often appears on affected tissues. Another symptom of the inflammatory process is increased salivation, stuffy ears.
If the pathology is complicated, then it is characterized by the following signs:
- Severe headache.
- A lump and pain in the throat (and not only when swallowing).
- Redness of mucous membranes.
- Trouble swallowing.
Sometimes the voice of the patient sits. In any case, the patient should consult a specialist. But there are cases when he needs urgent help: with prolonged sore throat, which cannot be eliminated by prescribed drugs; loss of voice for more than a week. Do not delay a visit to the clinic with a high temperature, pain in the ears and joints, the appearance of blood in the sputum or saliva. Call your doctor if you have difficulty swallowing or breathing.
Disease diagnosis
Determine whether acute or chronic pharyngitis (inflammation of the pharynx) is difficult only by symptoms. To make an accurate diagnosis, a thorough examination is necessary.
It includes:
- Initial visual inspection in good light, listening to patient complaints and collectinghistory.
- General and biochemical analysis of blood and urine.
- Microscopic examination of sputum.
- Pharingoscopy. It is carried out in good light with the use of a mirror. Sometimes this procedure requires the use of anesthetics (for people with a pronounced gag reflex).
- Laryngoscopy.
- Immunogram.
In case of a complicated course of inflammation of the mucous membrane of the pharynx, tomography can be prescribed. In any case, the diagnosis should be differential. Doctors rarely do without instrumental research methods.
General treatment recommendations
Symptoms and treatment of inflammation of the pharynx largely depend on the type of pathology. However, regardless of the classification of the disease, there are general principles of therapy:
- During treatment, a person should stay at home, stay in bed, not come into contact with other people, as a weakened body can pick up an additional infection.
- Sleep enough hours at night, do not ignore daytime rest. So the body will recover faster, and the immune system will become stronger.
- Replenish your diet with foods rich in vitamins and minerals. The menu should consist of easily digestible dishes of soft consistency. They should be warm.
- The room needs a humidifier.
- In order to eliminate pathogens faster, you need to drink enough liquid.
- Warm compresses based on medicinal herbs will help in the fight against pharyngitis.
In order to quickly get rid of the inflammatory process, you must stop smoking and drinking alcohol.
Traditional treatment of disease
Treatment of inflammation of the pharynx is prescribed by a specialist. It is not recommended to use drugs on your own, as they can aggravate the situation (some drugs greatly dry the mucous membrane). If the acute form of the pathology proceeds without pronounced disorders of the general condition of the body, then the person is prescribed symptomatic therapy.
Usually the patient needs:
- Antibacterial agents, as well as antiseptics: Faringosept, Oracept, preparations based on iodine, essential oils, Chlorhexidine, Ingalipt. They kill pathogenic microorganisms, restoring local immunity and helping the mucosa to recover. Most often they are applied in the form of sprays. They are not always suitable for treating children, as they can cause a serious allergic reaction in them.
- Antibiotics: sulfonamides, Framycetin. They are necessary if the cause of the development of pathology is a bacterial infection. They are applied for at least 5-7 days.
- Multivitamin preparations to strengthen general and local immunity.
- Lozenges for sucking, which not only eliminate pain, but also reduce the intensity of the inflammatory process: Strepsils.
- Inhalations with dimexide, as well as rinsing with decoctions of herbs, solutions of essential oils.
- Antipyretics: Ibuprofen, Paracetamol. They should be given to the patient only if the temperature has risen above 38 degrees.
- Antiviral: "Cycloferon".
- Antiallergic drugs: "Zirtek", "Claritin", "Diazolin". They are used to eliminate swelling of the mucous membranes of the pharynx.
No less useful are physiotherapy procedures. They help accelerate the healing of damaged tissues, enhance the effect of drugs. The following procedures are the most effective: UHF, electrophoresis, darsonvalization. It is also important to eliminate all negative external factors that can provoke an inflammatory process.
Surgical intervention is required in exceptional cases. Most often, chemical or physical cauterization of overgrown foci is carried out. Surgery is necessary for complications of pathology.
Folk Therapy
You can treat inflammation of the pharyngeal mucosa at home with the help of folk remedies. In this case, the disease should not be complicated. Herbs help to destroy pathogenic microflora, produce an antiseptic, softening and analgesic effect. The following recipes will be useful:
- Bath based on essential oils. For her, thyme or eucalyptus oil is taken. You can also use dry plants. In the second case, 1 liter of hot liquid and 2 tbsp. l. thyme. Water is infused for half an hour. Further liquidstrain and add to bath.
- Clove buds. They should just be chewed on. 2-3 buds are taken. The procedure is repeated every 3-4 hours. After 1-2 days, the patient's condition noticeably improves.
- S alt water. It is used for gargling. In 0.5 liters of warm water, dissolve 1 tsp. s alt. You need to use the product in a warm form every hour. No liquid swallowing.
- Chamomile decoction. A warm compress is made from it. Requires 1 tbsp. l. dry flowers and 1-2 cups of boiling water. 5 minutes is enough to infuse. Next, the liquid should be filtered, dip a terry towel into it and attach to the neck. The compress is kept until it cools completely.
- Pine cones and needles. They are used for inhalation. It is necessary to steam 20 cones with a glass of boiling water. It is enough to carry out 4-6 procedures for 5 minutes. It is important to take precautions when using the inhaler so as not to burn the throat mucosa. Most often, such a remedy is used in the acute form of the disease.
- Melissa. This herb is able to eliminate pain and reduce the intensity of the inflammatory process. It is used not only for inhalation, but also for gargling. It takes 15 g of herb per 200 ml of water. It is allowed to replace lemon balm with peppermint.
- A mixture of grated horseradish, honey and minced garlic. Each component is taken in 1 tsp. Next, the mixture is poured with a glass of warm liquid. The resulting product should be drunk, stirring occasionally. You can also use it for rinsing.
- Aloe juice. They need to treat the affected surface of the mucosashell.
- Potatoes. An effective way to get rid of pharyngitis is steam inhalation of boiled potatoes.
- Ginger. The root of the plant must be crushed, steamed with boiling water and let it brew for at least 20 minutes. You can drink the remedy as a tea. To improve the taste, honey or lemon is added to the liquid.
- Collecting herbs. It takes 5 g of yarrow and 10 g of peppermint, rosehip petals. The mixture in the amount of 10 g is poured with a glass of cold liquid and infused for up to 2 hours. You need to take the remedy in a hot form before going to bed, 200 ml each. It is allowed to add honey to the liquid.
- Calamus root and chamomile. A decoction is made from these plants. It takes 10 g of root and 200 ml of boiling water. Next, a decoction of chamomile is prepared (15 g of raw materials per 200 ml of hot water). After that, both liquids are mixed and used for rinsing. For each procedure, only 50-100 ml of the product is enough.
- Alcoholic propolis extract (1 tsp) and peach oil (2 tsp). Both components must be mixed and lubricated with the affected parts of the pharynx. This medicine is more effective for chronic inflammation.
Folk remedies are used for complex treatment after consultation with a doctor. They should not be used alone for monotherapy. Plants are not always able to completely rid a person of a problem.
Possible Complications
If the therapy for inflammation of the pharyngeal mucosa was carried out incorrectly, then the patient develops the following complications:
- The pathological process becomes chronic,and getting rid of it completely will not work.
- Peritonsillar abscess. In this case, the vessels and mucous membrane are destroyed, and the infection enters the bloodstream.
- Sepsis.
- Retropharyngeal abscess.
- Tracheitis, laryngitis or chronic bronchitis.
- Rheumatism of the joints (acute).
- Inflammation of the auditory tube and inner ear.
- Lymphadenitis of the neck.
- Sialoadenitis.
- Post-streptococcal glomerulonephritis.
Some of these complications cannot be eliminated without serious medical treatment. In some cases, surgical treatment will be required, so it is better not to start the disease. In addition, the consequences of pathology can be life-threatening.
Disease prevention
Chronic inflammation of the pharynx is a difficult disease that is difficult to completely get rid of. It leads to the lack of qualified treatment or self-medication. To prevent chronicity of the process or the development of an acute form of the disease, it is necessary to observe the following preventive measures:
- In the cold season, the throat must be kept warm (cold water is also undesirable).
- Timely and correctly treat any infectious foci in the body, regardless of their cause.
- If a person has problems with the digestive system, then he needs to sleep on a raised head of the bed so that stomach acid is not thrown into the esophagus.
- With frequent throat diseases, too cold or hot food should be excluded from the diet, as it irritates the mucous membranesshell.
- Use vitamin preparations to strengthen immunity.
- During epidemics of respiratory diseases or forced inhalation of dusty (polluted) air at work, it is better for a person to wear individual protective masks.
- Avoid places where smokers are present.
- If a person is prone to allergic reactions, then he must take all measures to stop the attack.
- Use personal hygiene products and utensils.
- Do not forget about the rules of personal hygiene. If it is not possible to wash your hands, you can wipe them with a disinfectant wipe.
Pharyngitis itself is not dangerous to human life. Its complications can end with deplorable consequences. Therefore, at the first symptoms of the development of the inflammatory process, you need to contact a specialist. It is better to refuse self-medication.
