With inflammation of the tonsils and the entire throat, everyone recognizes angina in these symptoms. However, if not the entire larynx begins to hurt, but only the back wall of the throat, doubts arise in determining the diagnosis. Most often, after such complaints, doctors put a verdict: pharyngitis. This disease is no more dangerous than a sore throat, but it may well provoke complications if treatment is not started in time. That is why it is so important to know about all the symptoms and types of this disease. Based on this knowledge, you can choose the appropriate method of treatment, both medical and non-traditional.
Disease definition
The main difference between pharyngitis is the defeat of the larynx. Translated from Latin, the pharynx is denoted by the word "pharynx", which gives the name to the disease. The ending with "itis" indicates an acute inflammatory process. Therefore, pharyngitis is not the usual difficulty in swallowing or irritation.back of the throat, this is a serious disease that needs to be treated with the help of doctors. Pharyngitis is very similar to a similar disease, tonsillitis, but if you study these pathologies in more detail, significant differences can be distinguished between them.
With tonsillitis, the side walls become inflamed, and pharyngitis occurs most often only with damage to the back of the throat. You can not treat this type of disease carelessly. If treatment is not started on time, the whole body can suffer from complications. Therefore, when the first signs of pharyngitis appear, you must immediately go to an appointment with an otolaryngologist. An experienced specialist will always determine the type of disease and prescribe the appropriate treatment regimen. Do not try to independently determine the disease and even more so to treat it. All manipulations, and especially folk methods of treatment, must be agreed with the doctor.
Types of diseases
Pharyngitis according to its signs and causes is divided into several types: acute granulosa, chronic, catarrhal, atrophic, hypertrophic. Of these, the following types of origin should be distinguished:
- Fungal infection of the throat wall.
- Traumatic.
- Allergic.
- Bacterial.
- Viral.
The simplest forms of pharyngitis are considered: atrophic, hypertrophic, and also a mixed variety. This disease can also occur in a chronic form. However, in this case, the fault lies partly with the patient. If symptoms are treated with indifference andneglect to visit a doctor, even the mildest form of pharyngitis can turn into a serious complication.
Chronic pharyngitis
Predisposition to colds, polluted environment, weak immunity - these factors affect the chronic course of pharyngitis. In addition, those people who work in industries can acquire pathology. A gassed and dusty environment brings great harm to the body, provoking not only the development of pharyngitis, but also many other diseases. Also, chronic inflammation in the throat occurs faster in smokers and those who abuse alcoholic beverages.
Chronic pharyngitis occurs without fever. However, at the same time, the patient suffers from a constant cough, as well as the sensation of a foreign body in the throat. The person has the impression that snot is flowing down the back of the throat. Such symptoms are directly related to the accumulation of pus on the back wall of the larynx. Because of them, a person is irresistibly drawn to cough and clear his throat.
Mucus and purulent growths cause a lot of discomfort, the patient tries to spit out the discharge from the throat, but he cannot do this without the help of medicines. After each expectoration, the mucus runs down the back of the throat again, resuming the discomfort. These symptoms affect the emotional and mental state, affect the quality of sleep. A sufferer from chronic pharyngitis becomes nervous, irritable and aggressive.
Granular pharyngitis
This formThe inflammatory process most often occurs in those who live within a humid climate. It also manifests itself in people whose professional activities are associated with work in conditions of high humidity. The granular form of pharyngitis is prone to those who are prone to allergic reactions, smokers or abusers of alcohol. This type of disease manifests itself when pathogenic microorganisms get on the walls of the throat, which provoke swelling and redness. After that, the mucosa begins to become covered with a film, and then nodular granules form on the back wall. The diagnosis of this disease can be quickly determined by a photo of the back of the throat. Granular pharyngitis is accompanied by certain symptoms:
- Severe cough. The patient constantly coughs, and unpleasant mucus is discharged from the throat. A poorly discharged and viscous secret irritates the walls of the larynx and enhances the inflammatory process. It is especially strong at night. That is why patients often suffer from insomnia. In the morning, the cough becomes even more uncontrollable and severe.
- There is a sore throat, dryness torments. The patient becomes difficult to swallow. At the same time, the back wall of the throat is white or slightly pinkish, with small red nodules and dots.
The disease is quickly diagnosed by an otolaryngologist. Therefore, it is better not to delay the visit and, at the first symptoms, go to the hospital to draw up a treatment plan. If you do not start treatment on time, granulosa pharyngitis quickly flows into an atrophic form.
Catarrhal pharyngitis
This form differs in that it appears at the very beginning of the disease. Catarrhal pharyngitis is the easiest stage. So
same, as in other forms, it is characterized by a sensation of a foreign body, as if snot is flowing down the back of the throat, perspiration, itching and discomfort in the oral cavity. Sometimes it becomes hard and painful to swallow. This symptomatology provokes frequent expectoration, as well as coughing. In this case, catarrhal pharyngitis is always accompanied by reddening of the back of the throat. Cough in the morning can be so strong that there are bouts of vomiting. If adequate therapeutic treatment is not started in time, pharyngitis flows into a hypertrophic form.
Complications from this disease can spread throughout the body. At the same time, they quite often occur both due to the lack of treatment, and after the illiterate use of drugs. That is why it is so important to be treated under medical supervision.
Causes of pharyngitis
Mouth breathing is considered the main factor provoking the appearance of pharyngitis. During inhalation, polluted air enters the mucous membrane, which is filled with microbes, viruses, infections and other sources of inflammation. Among the main causes of inflammation of the back of the throat, the most common can be identified:
- Polluted environment (cigarette smoke, smog and dust).
- Drinking cold drinks.
- Long exposure to cold or frost.
- Disorders of the endocrine system.
- Chronic pathologies, indigestion.
- Abuse of spicy and s alty.
- Tendency to pharyngitis after tonsil removal.
- The entry of chemicals into the body by airborne droplets.
- Consistent drinking.
- Infection.
- Viruses.
- Complication from SARS.
- Abuse of nose drops.
The throat can suffer from late visits to the dentist. If caries develops on the teeth, the inflammatory process can spread to the mucous membrane. Also, if there are signs of sinusitis, sinusitis or rhinitis, it may well end in pharyngitis. It is very important to be careful when treating a cold. Drops in the nose constrict blood vessels, and this leads to a slowdown in blood circulation, which has a direct effect on the larynx.
About 70% of cases of pharyngitis are the result of viral infections. The back of the throat becomes inflamed due to the following types of viruses:
- Respiratory.
- Rhinoviruses.
- Influenza and parainfluenza.
- Adenoviruses.
The most common cause of pharyngitis is rhinovirus.
Symptoms of disease
Most colds have the same symptoms. Therefore, it is so important to carefully consider your he alth and correctly determine the course of the disease. Pharyngitis should only be confirmed by a doctor. Having made a diagnosis on your own, you should not immediately go to the pharmacy for medicines. Only a doctor can tell you how to treat the back of the throat, orcompletely refute the disease by identifying another pathology. Most often, inflammation of the larynx is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Dry mouth.
- Sore throat.
- Fatigue.
- Temperature increase.
- Pain in the ears.
- Sensation of a foreign body on the back of the larynx.
- Cough, headache.
- Plaque on the back of the throat.
- Loss of appetite or lack thereof.
- Insomnia.
With pharyngitis, the patient is tormented by the desire to swallow or spit out the mucus that constantly forms on the wall of the larynx. The discomfort of these symptoms may be accompanied by severe pain in the back of the throat. The pain is always accompanied by redness. In this case, you can not doubt the diagnosis. In 95% of cases, such symptoms signal pharyngitis.
Traditional treatment of various forms of pharyngitis
The approach to treatment differs depending on the form of pharyngitis. Therefore, the doctor first of all finds out the type of disease and only after that he tells how to cure the back wall of the throat. To do this, he prescribes certain medications. To cure the acute form of pharyngitis, anti-inflammatory, painkillers, and antiseptic drugs are most often prescribed. Doctors recommend irrigating the throat with special sprays, rinsing the throat with propolis and homemade herbal infusions, and sucking on antibacterial lozenges.
Severe pharyngitis requires antibiotics. In addition to them, the doctor prescribes to the patient a special diet that excludes spicy, sour, s alty,cigarettes, alcohol and cold drinks. These restrictions help relieve the redness at the back of the throat, as well as prevent further irritation.
The granular form of pharyngitis is treated with several types of therapy: conservative and surgical. When choosing a conservative form, the doctor prescribes various home rinses with herbal infusions, inhalations from eucalyptus. Red granules that appear on the back of the throat are cauterized with an iodine solution. Diet plays an important role in treatment. If the granules increase in size and the therapy does not work, the doctor may insist on surgical removal of the neoplasms.
With catarrhal pharyngitis, treatment begins with the restoration of breathing through the nose. Then antibiotics are prescribed. The choice of medicines depends on the cause of the disease, as well as on the personal characteristics of the patient's body. Recovery should always be accompanied by bed rest, diet, and rest from mental work.
Atrophic inflammation of the back of the throat is treated with local and general methods. The patient is prescribed immunostimulants, drugs with antiseptic and antibiotic properties. It is also necessary to carry out therapy with anti-inflammatory and homeopathic medicines.
Before using any medicine, rinse your throat thoroughly so that there is no plaque or crusts on it. Do this with the help of antibacterial sprays, antiseptics, herbal infusions. Only on a cleansed throat can a medicinal ointment or any other healing and anti-inflammatory agent be applied. Sometimes doctorsprescribe physiotherapy treatment using a laser, as well as UHF or UVR courses.
Folk treatments
Most colds can be cured exclusively by folk methods. Pharyngitis is no exception. It is very important to identify this disease at an early stage, then unpleasant symptoms can be removed in a few days with the help of home rinses and laryngeal lavages.
Each medicated rinse should be done after careful removal of the mucus at the back of the throat. For this, a solution of soda and sea s alt is perfect. Add one teaspoon of each remedy to a cup of warm water. After such washing, you can proceed to therapeutic rinses, as well as to drink plenty of water. If you miss the first days of pharyngitis, folk recipes can only be practiced in conjunction with drug treatment. The following remedies should be used as home therapy:
- Brew herbs for rinsing: chamomile, sage, eucalyptus, calendula, St. John's wort. Excellent relieves mucus on the back of the throat decoction of elm bark. They need to rinse their larynx as often as possible. It is advisable to do at least 5 rinses a day.
- Treatment of the back of the throat can be done with honey. To do this, you need to drink tea with it, and also dissolve it separately. Honey is a natural antiseptic that not only kills bacteria, but also has a huge amount of useful substances.
- Apply warm compresses. To do this, you need 40% alcohol, purewater and gauze. In a glass of water, dilute a little alcohol and soak gauze in it. Then you should wrap the throat with gauze and wrap it with a warm towel on top. If a burning sensation occurs, immediately remove the gauze from the skin. If the back wall of the throat hurts and bakes, it is better not to do such compresses.
- Increase the volume of warm drinking, paying special attention to herbal teas, decoctions. With pharyngitis, it is useful to drink rose hips, and also eat raspberry jam. In total, you need to consume at least 2 liters of fluid per day.
- Make steam inhalations. You can use both herbal dry collection and aromatic oils. To prepare, pour about 200 ml of boiling water into a deep saucepan, and then drip 3-4 drops of essential oil into it. Then you need to bend over the pot with steam and cover yourself with a towel. For the inhalation to work, you need to sit over the steam for at least 10 minutes.
Gargle with an aqueous solution of sea s alt and soda several times a day. It will clean the walls of the larynx from mucus and bacteria. Such a procedure is especially necessary if there are blisters on the back of the throat. After that, you can do rinses, therapeutic inhalations, and also drink he althy teas. Herbal infusions will reduce the development of the inflammatory process in the throat, remove redness, itching, blisters. Lemon and honey tinctures will have an excellent therapeutic effect.
Folk methods will help relieve the unpleasant symptoms of the disease, as well as speed up the healing process. But do not forget that only a doctor can prescribe the righttreatment that does not harm the body. For example, if your strep throat was caused by a bacterial infection, you will likely need to be treated with a course of antibiotics.
If instead of being treated exclusively by folk methods and not going to the doctor for examination, the disease can progress and cause complications on the internal organs. Therefore, when unpleasant symptoms appear, it is necessary to go to the hospital and coordinate with the doctor each stage of both drug and alternative therapy.
Doctors advice
All doctors agree that any disease is easier to prevent than to cure. That is why they advise to comply with all preventive measures, strengthen the body, and also lead a he althy lifestyle. If you follow these recommendations, you can not be afraid of pharyngitis and many other diseases.
To avoid unpleasant inflammation of the throat wall, it is necessary to properly harden, follow a special diet that excludes too s alty, sour and spicy foods. An important role is played by the use of alcohol and cigarettes. Doctors note that it is smokers who are more prone to developing pharyngitis. The same applies to those who drink alcohol too often.
Maintain a he althy immune system from the inside out. Therefore, it is very important to include foods with a high content of vitamins in the diet. With a shortage of nutrients, you can take vitamins in capsules or tablets. However, you should choose a drug only after consulting a doctor.
Preventive measures include keeping the body at a comfortable temperature at all times. It is impossible to allow hypothermia of the body. In this case, special attention should be paid to the weakest places: the larynx, arms and legs.
Inflammation of the back of the throat in children
Quite often, an inflammatory process in the throat of a child is confused with an acute infection, for example, with scarlet fever or measles. Therefore, it is necessary to seek diagnostics from the best and most experienced specialists who will be able to determine the exact diagnosis even from a photo. The back of the throat with this disease will always be red and inflamed. Just like in adults, pharyngitis develops in children due to bacteria or infections on the mucous membrane. After infection, the child begins to show the following symptoms:
- Slight pain when swallowing.
- Itching and burning in the throat.
- Increase in body temperature up to 38 degrees.
From the features of children's pharyngitis, its course can be distinguished. The older the child, the milder the form of the disease will be. In newborns and infants, pharyngitis is extremely difficult. In some cases, it can lead to complications such as adenoiditis and tonsillitis.
Therapeutic treatment of this disease in children is carried out with the help of abundant warm drinks, warm compresses, constant rinses. The latter are made from herbal infusions. Before therapeutic rinsing, the throat is always washed with an alkaline solution. The pharynx is irrigated several times a dayantibacterial spray. Just like adults, the child will benefit from inhalations of aromatic oils and herbal infusions. Doctors prescribe antibiotics to children only in the most extreme cases, when the disease progresses and there is a risk of complications. Only if their treatment is justified, are injections, tablets or powders for oral administration prescribed. Since antibiotics have a bad effect on the intestinal microflora, along with them, the doctor prescribes drugs that restore the flora.
From pharyngitis it is necessary to protect both yourself and your own children. Very often, this disease develops after the removal of the tonsils. According to medical statistics, pharyngitis most often gets sick in summer and winter. Therefore, in summer you should not lean on icy drinks, and in winter beware of hypothermia. Also, one should not forget about strengthening the body with vitamins and try to lead a he althy lifestyle.
