Unpleasant feeling when the tonsils become inflamed and it hurts to swallow is common in both adults and children. This condition is especially often diagnosed during seasonal infections (SARS, influenza). Inflammation of the tonsils is a kind of body reaction to the penetration of a pathogen, since they act as a protective barrier to infection. You need to know how to treat swollen tonsils at home to prevent possible complications.
Symptoms
You can recognize the pathological process at the initial stage by the characteristic sore throat. If you start therapy at this stage, then the inflammation goes away in a mild form, without causing serious he alth complications. With the further development of the pathology, unpleasant symptoms intensify. Among them:
- increasedtemperature;
- hoarse voice;
- general malaise;
- irritability;
- bad breath;
- pain when swallowing;
- chill;
- puffiness of the tonsils;
- headache;
- body aches.
Unpleasant signs of inflammation appear depending on the type and form of the disease. If the throat hurts and the tonsils are swollen, it is possible to determine how to treat, but the cause of the development of inflammation should be established.
Reasons
Most often, the main cause of inflammation of the tonsils are viruses and bacteria that have entered the body. The main diseases that cause inflammation:
- Angina (acute form of tonsillitis). The disease is characterized by high fever and obvious signs of intoxication (thirst, fever). Swallowing hurts not only food, but also your own saliva. On the surface of the tonsils, a light gray purulent plaque is clearly visible. In most cases, the causative agent of pathology are harmful microorganisms - streptococci. Infection occurs by airborne droplets, and the variant of contact-household spread is also allowed.
- Chronic tonsillitis. In addition to painful swallowing, a person feels constant drowsiness, general weakness. The temperature rises, but slightly, within 37.0-38.1 degrees. The disease develops against the background of an incompletely cured form, and also as a complication of sinusitis, adenoid growth.
- Chronic pharyngitis. The disease develops in combination with various infections of the nose, mouth and upperrespiratory tract. A characteristic feature is that the tonsils become inflamed, but do not hurt. Mucus accumulates in the nasopharynx, causing a constant cough.
- Abscess. It develops as a complication of angina. With this disease, inflammation of only one tonsil is most often diagnosed, which indicates its suppuration. In addition to general symptoms, an unpleasant putrid odor appears from the mouth, breathing becomes difficult, the temperature stays at around 40 degrees.
Inflammation of the tonsils can occur for other reasons. A characteristic difference of this pathological process is the absence of elevated temperature. The most likely causes of the disease:
- allergy;
- hypothermia;
- bad habits;
- toxic burn;
- throat injury;
- dry indoor air.
Swollen tonsils in a child: how to treat?
When inflammation of the tonsils in a child, you should consult a doctor. Only a qualified specialist is able to identify the main cause of the pathological process and, on the basis of this, prescribe the appropriate treatment. Most often in children, inflammation is diagnosed as a result of the development of angina. If a child has swollen tonsils, how to treat a sore throat, as well as the general course of treatment, is determined by the doctor. After confirmation of the diagnosis, therapy is carried out using the following medicines:
- Antibiotics ("Sumamed", "Amoxicillin", "Ospamox", "Tetracycline"). The dosage is indicated by the doctor depending onfrom the age of the child. Full course - 7 days. It cannot be interrupted, even if the unpleasant symptoms have disappeared.
- Antipyretic drugs ("Paracetamol", "Efferalgan", "Cefekon"). Medications are used to relieve fever. After normalization of he alth, the reception should be stopped.
- Antimicrobial agents ("Furacillin", "Chlorophyllipt", "Miramistin"). Medicines are used for rinsing. They help reduce inflammation and prevent further spread of the infection, as during the procedure the pathogenic microflora is washed off the surface of the tonsils.
- Anti-inflammatory drugs ("Tonsilgon", "Malavit", "Rotokan", "Dioxidin"). Medicines should be used in the form of inhalations to eliminate the inflammatory process.
In addition to medicines, the child should be provided with bed rest, which will prevent the development of complications, and drinking plenty of fluids, which helps to quickly remove the infection from the body. If a child has a sore throat, swollen tonsils, how to treat, in addition to medicines? To improve the well-being of the baby, it is recommended to use folk remedies. They are not able to replace the main therapy, but they will help to significantly speed up recovery.
Effective folk remedies:
- Compress from cottage cheese. It is necessary to take ordinary cottage cheese, preferably homemade, distribute it on a napkin. Warm the compress to room temperature. Put it on the child's neck, and on topwrap with polyethylene. Additional insulation is not required. The compress helps draw out the pus from the tonsils. It is recommended to carry out the procedure daily at night until the pain in the throat is completely eliminated.
- Lemon with sugar. Grind the lemon with zest until smooth. Add sugar to the citrus mixture to taste. Take the product 3-4 times a day to strengthen the protective function of the body.
- Milk with honey. If the tonsils are swollen, how to treat with these components? You need to heat the milk to a warm state, add honey to it to taste. Drink the remedy in small sips. After taking, refrain from eating and drinking for 1 hour.
Swollen tonsils in an adult: how to treat with medication?
In case of a bacterial or viral infection of the tonsils, treatment is carried out with the use of antibiotics. The drugs are prescribed by the attending physician in accordance with the form and severity of the disease. Common types of antibiotics:
- "Amoxicillin". Semi-synthetic drug, part of the penicillin group. Used for patients older than 10 years. The standard dosage is 0.5 g 3 times a day. In the case of a severe form of the disease, it is permissible to increase the single dosage up to 1 g. The course of therapy is 5-14 days, at the discretion of the doctor.
- "Amoxiclav". You can take the drug from the age of 12. Reception is carried out every 8 hours, 1 tablet (0.375 g). In severe form, the rate rises to 0.675 g per 1 dose. Duration of treatment - 5-14 days.
- "Vilprafen". Group antibioticmacrolides. The drug has a depressing effect on most gram + and gram - microorganisms that accumulate in the tonsils and lungs, provoking an inflammatory process. Daily dosage - 1-2 g in three doses. The medicine should be washed down with a large volume of water.
If the tonsils are swollen and sore, how to treat with other drugs? In addition to tablets, the treatment is carried out with the use of topical lozenges or absorbable lozenges, which help relieve pain and have an anti-inflammatory effect. This category includes the following drugs:
- "Anti Sept";
- "Septolete Neo";
- "Travesil";
- "Ajicept";
- "Strepsils";
- "Lizobakt".
Rinses
The tonsils are swollen and sore, how to treat with rinses? This method of treatment allows you to reduce the inflammatory process and unpleasant symptoms, as well as significantly increase the protective function of the body. Gargling is used in conjunction with medical treatment, but does not replace it. During the procedure, the therapeutic solution washes off the remnants of products, dried crusts, harmful bacteria from the inflamed tonsils, which has a depressing effect on the pathogenic microflora.
Swollen tonsils, does it hurt to swallow? How to treat by rinsing, you should figure it out. The method of carrying out the treatment procedure does not involve complex manipulations. The solution must be taken into the oral cavity, raise your head up and gargle. In this case, the liquid mustwash it, but do not ingest it. The procedure will require about 100-150 ml of treatment solution. The duration of the rinse is 15-20 seconds. After that, the liquid should be spit out and a new one taken. Repeat the procedure 4-5 times.
The frequency of rinsing on the first day is every 30 minutes, on subsequent days the interval between procedures should be increased by 30-40 minutes. Regular rinsing will help to quickly eliminate pain and relieve inflammation.
Rinse solutions:
- Dissolve 1 tablet of Furacilin in 200 ml of warm water.
- Add 3 drops of iodine to a glass of water at a comfortable temperature.
- Dissolve 5 g of soda and s alt in 250 ml of warm water.
- Pour 20 ml of vinegar into 250 ml of water at a comfortable temperature.
- Mix lemon juice and honey, 20 ml each. Add the mixture to 1 cup of warm water and stir.
- Mix chamomile, sage, St. John's wort, oak bark. Pour 50 g of the mixture with boiling water (500 ml). Leave for 30 minutes, peel.
30 minutes after rinsing, it is recommended to chew lemon zest, the essential oils of which will enhance the therapeutic effect of the procedure.
Inhalations
Swollen tonsils, how to treat at home with inhalation? This method of therapy also effectively relieves inflammation and pain. But it is possible to use inhalations for treatment if the inflammatory process is not accompanied by fever. During inhalation, hot steam softens the irritated mucous membrane and prevents the appearance of a dry cough. For the procedure, you canuse a regular kettle or any other container. Initially, you should heat the water to 60 degrees and add healing components to it. After that, you need to inhale the steam through the spout of the kettle, or covered with a towel over the pan.
Common therapeutic components for inhalation for inflammation of the tonsils per 1 liter of water:
- baking soda (10 g);
- sea s alt (15g);
- eucalyptus or sage essential oil (5 drops);
- chamomile decoction, coltsfoot (30 g herb collection);
- propolis tincture (20 ml).
Recommendations for inhalation.
- The treatment procedure should be carried out one hour after eating.
- After inhalation, do not go outside, do not smoke or eat for 60 minutes.
- Regularity - 4-5 times a day.
- For adults, the duration of the procedure should be 5 minutes, for children - 2-3 minutes.
Inhalations are not able to eliminate the main cause of inflammation - they help reduce unpleasant symptoms.
Treatment of inflamed tonsils
The tonsils are swollen, how to treat more to quickly relieve inflammation? It is possible to enhance the therapeutic effect of the tablets and speed up recovery with the help of additional treatment of the tonsils with special solutions. You can buy them at the pharmacy.
The most popular remedy is Lugol. Its active ingredient is molecular iodine, which has an antiseptic and antibacterial effect. If the tonsils are swollen, how to treat them with this remedy, you shouldfigure it out.
For treatment, you can use "Lugol" in the form of a solution or spray. In the first case, you will need tweezers with a fixed swab, which should be moistened with the product and treat the surface of the tonsils. The second option involves uniform irrigation of the inflamed tonsils with a special nozzle.
The frequency of treatment is 3-4 times a day.
Compresses
If the tonsils are swollen, how can they be treated with dry heat? You can quickly and effectively deal with inflammation with warm compresses.
Effective Recipes:
- Dissolve "Dimexide" in water in a ratio of 1:3. Add to the solution "Furacilin" in a ratio of 1:5. Soak a gauze bandage in the resulting liquid, and then fasten it around the throat. Cover with foil and wrap with a scarf. You can remove the compress after 2-3 hours. This recipe should be used for severe pain.
- 50 g of sage collection pour 200 ml of boiling water. Keep the infusion for 40 minutes, clean. Moisten the bandage and apply to the throat. Fix polyethylene on top and insulate with a scarf. Leave overnight.
- 1 part medical alcohol mixed with 3 parts warm water. Moisten gauze in the resulting solution, and then apply to the throat. Wrap with foil and scarf. Remove the compress after 1 hour.
- Lightly beat off the cabbage leaf to make it soft and pliable. Fix it on the neck in the area of inflamed tonsils. Insulate the compress from above with a warm scarf. Leave for 10 hours.
- Dissolve honey untilliquid composition. Soak a bandage in it, apply it to the throat. Fasten over polyethylene and insulate with a scarf. Keep the bandage on all night.
What to do if one tonsil is swollen?
Unilateral inflammation of the tonsils indicates that the infection has not had time to spread much. And it can also be a sign of an incompletely cured disease. Inflammation of the tonsil on one side is most often diagnosed with the development of influenza, pharyngitis, tonsillitis, or as a result of mechanical injury.
How to treat a swollen tonsil on one side? Therapy is carried out in the same order as with bilateral inflammation. If this is the initial stage of the development of the disease, then timely treatment will help to avoid infection of another tonsil.
Relapse Prevention
So that subsequently the tonsils do not become inflamed, it is recommended to follow simple recommendations:
- Keep a he althy lifestyle.
- Give up bad habits that reduce the protective function.
- Balance your diet by enriching your diet with he althy foods.
- Don't drink cold drinks.
- Dress for the weather, avoid hypothermia.
- Timely treat sinusitis, caries, SARS.
- In the cold season, carry out preventive rinses.
If the tonsil is swollen, treatment should be carried out at the first sign of the disease. This will help prevent further spread of the infection and relieve discomfort. If all the measures taken have not brought a positive result, thensee a doctor immediately to identify the underlying cause of the inflammation.
