Tonsils are lymphatic formations located mostly in the pharynx. Surely you have heard about these structures, but you may not know how important functions they perform. Unfortunately, like all other organs, the tonsils are susceptible to infections and other diseases.
Naturally, it is important to know what symptoms accompany certain diseases. And since the pharyngeal tonsil is the largest (in medicine it is also referred to as the nasopharyngeal tonsil), it is worth first considering the features of the course of certain pathologies in this structure.
Pharyngeal tonsil: structure and general information
For starters, it's worth saying that the pharyngeal ring consists of six tonsils (they even have their own numbering). The structures themselves are an accumulation of oval-shaped lymphoid tissue. They can be paired and unpaired.
- The palatine tonsils (I and II) are located in the so-called tonsillar niches, on the sides of the uvula hanging from the palate. They are shaped like almonds. Quite often in medicine, these structures appear under the name"glands". It is their inflammation that is the cause of the well-known tonsillitis and tonsillitis.
- The pharyngeal tonsil (photo above) is also known as the nasopharyngeal tonsil and Cannon's tonsil (III). The structure is located almost on the vault of the pharynx, also occupying the upper and part of the posterior wall of the nasopharynx. It looks like several transverse, protruding folds of the mucous membrane lined with ciliated epithelium.
- Lingual tonsil (IV) located at the root of the tongue, with a median sulcus dividing the structure into two halves. The tonsil has a bumpy surface, as well as shallow crypts, at the bottom of which salivary ducts open. The structure is covered with squamous stratified epithelium.
- Tubal tonsils (V and VI) are the smallest structures that are located near the pharyngeal openings of the Eustachian tube.
In addition, there are smaller lymphoid formations in the tissues of the larynx and pharynx. Together they form the lymphoepithelial apparatus, the main function of which is to protect the body from the effects of negative factors.
Main functions of the tonsils
The tonsils are part of the immune system, as are the lymph nodes, spleen and other structures. Accordingly, the main functions in this case are hematopoiesis and body protection.
For example, in the lymphoid tissue of the tonsils, lymphocytes are formed - blood cells that provide humoral immunity. In addition, it contains a large number of macrophages that have the ability toabsorb and neutralize various antigens, including viral particles and bacterial cells.
And in the tonsils, lymphocyte cells come very close to the surface epithelium. In some places, the tissues are so thin that the cells come to the surface of the tonsils and, accordingly, can interact with various foreign agents.
Inflammation of the tonsil: causes
Adenoiditis - inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsil. As a rule, the acute form of the disease develops against the background of other respiratory diseases, in which the infection penetrates into the lymphoid tissues. In addition, the disease often develops when the conditionally pathogenic microflora of the nasopharynx is activated. As you know, a huge number of bacterial microorganisms live here. But as long as their number is tightly controlled by the immune system, bacteria cannot cause serious harm. However, when immunity is weakened or malfunctions, microorganisms begin to multiply actively, which, accordingly, leads to the development of an inflammatory process.
Unfortunately, inflammation of the tonsils is often left without attention and the necessary treatment. Frequent diseases lead to the fact that the lymphoid structures themselves become a source of infection, which spreads to neighboring organs, causing sinusitis, otitis media, tracheobronchitis and other ailments.
By the way, this disease is most often diagnosed in children. Inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsil in adults is a dangerous condition, as it can cause a severe form of retronasal tonsillitis.
Clinical picture with inflammation
This disease of the pharyngeal tonsils in the initial stages resembles a common cold. First, body temperature rises and symptoms of intoxication appear, including chills, weakness, body aches, and headache. Symptoms include an obsessive cough.
As the disease progresses, pain appears in the depth of the nose, which spreads to the back of the nasal cavity. Quite often, patients complain of pain in the back of the head. Swelling of the mucous membrane often extends to the rosemullerian pits, which is accompanied by pain in the ears, hearing loss, impaired nasal breathing. In addition, patients complain of a tickling sensation and sore throat.
On examination, you can notice the accumulation of mucus in the nasopharynx. There is also an increase in the pharyngeal tonsil. On its surface, you can see a fibrous plaque, and its grooves are often filled with purulent exudate. There is an increase in the occipital, submandibular and posterior cervical lymph nodes. In infants, the disease may be accompanied by attacks of suffocation, as with laryngitis.
The acute form of the disease lasts about 5-7 days. Unfortunately, the likelihood of relapses, even multiple ones, is very high, which can eventually lead to the appearance of a chronic form of the disease. Moreover, against the background of inflammation, children often develop complications such as otitis media, sinusitis, lacrimal tract lesions, pharyngeal abscesses, bronchopneumonia, laryngotracheobronchitis and other respiratory diseases.
How is adenoiditis treated?
Schemetreatment for such a disease depends on the patient's condition and the massiveness of the inflammatory process. In the presence of abscesses, it may be necessary to open them, followed by irrigation with antiseptic preparations.
If the cause of the inflammatory process is a bacterial infection (most often this is what happens), then the patient is prescribed antibiotics. In addition, it is necessary to take antihistamine drugs ("Tavegil", "Suprastin", etc.), which help to avoid the development of an allergic reaction to drugs and relieve swelling of the mucous membrane, thereby facilitating breathing and swallowing. The use of vasoconstrictor nasal drops is also recommended. The nasal passages, the wall of the nasopharynx are irrigated with antiseptic solutions (for example, silver solution, protargol, collargol). With fever, it is possible to take antipyretic drugs, anti-inflammatory nonsteroidal drugs (for example, Nurofen, Ibufen, Paracetamol).
To speed up the healing process, sometimes patients are prescribed immunomodulators. Sometimes vitamin therapy is necessary. By the way, taking vitamins and drugs that strengthen the immune system (for example, Aflubin) is recommended twice a year to prevent relapse.
If this disease of the pharyngeal tonsils develops severely, is accompanied by severe fever, abscess formation, various complications, then hospitalization of the child is necessary. Therapy is aimed at eliminating the inflammatory process and preserving the tonsil. However, in some cases, it needs to be surgically removed.
What is pharyngeal hypertrophytonsils? Photos, symptoms and stages of development of the disease
Besides inflammation, there is another fairly common disease. In particular, in modern medicine, hypertrophy of the pharyngeal tonsil is often recorded, which also appears under the name "adenoids".
This disease is accompanied by an increase (growth) of the tonsil. According to statistical studies, the disease is more often diagnosed in children aged 3 to 14 years. During puberty, the volume of the amygdala decreases. In adults, this disease is diagnosed extremely rarely.
Adenoids look like irregularly shaped structures, which are a bit like a cockscomb, as they are separated by connective tissue septa into several lobules. They are pale pink in color and soft in texture. Often, the disease spreads to the side walls of the pharynx and downwards (this is hypertrophy of the palatine and pharyngeal tonsils), and sometimes to the openings of the auditory tubes.
There are three degrees of hypertrophy:
- In the first degree, the adenoid covers approximately 1/3 of the vomer.
- Hyperplasia of the pharyngeal tonsil of the 2nd degree is already more pronounced - the structure covers almost 2/3 of the vomer.
- The third degree of the disease is characterized by the complete closure of the choanas (internal nostrils), which, naturally, is fraught with a lot of breathing problems.
Main causes of hypertrophy
In fact, the mechanism of tissue hyperplasia of the pharyngeal tonsil is not fully understood. Causesthe development of such a pathology, alas, can not be found in every case. Nevertheless, in modern medicine, it is customary to single out several main provoking factors:
- There is a certain genetic inheritance that is associated with some disorders in the structure and functioning of the lymphatic and endocrine systems.
- Increases the chances of adenoid growth problem pregnancy and difficult childbirth. For example, risk factors include fetal hypoxia, viral diseases that the mother suffered in the first trimester of pregnancy, toxic drugs and antibiotics that had to be taken. In addition, the tendency to form adenoids can be caused by asphyxia of the child and some injuries during the birth process.
- Of course, the characteristics of the first years of life also matter, for example, did the child get sick in infancy and what medications did he take, what did the diet look like, did the baby’s diet include preservatives, was he breastfed, etc.
- Frequent colds and viral diseases also increase the risk of hyperplasia.
- The pharyngeal tonsil is often hypertrophied in children suffering from allergies (by the way, a tendency to allergies in itself indicates a malfunction of the immune system).
Other factors also play a role, including an unfavorable ecological environment, malnutrition, a sedentary lifestyle, etc. Quite often, the growth of adenoids is stimulated by several factors at once.
What disorders cause adenoids? Disease symptoms
Naturally, such a pathology is accompanied by a number of some symptoms. Having found some signs in a child (or in yourself), it is better to immediately seek the advice of a doctor. In the initial stages, the disease can still be cured conservatively. So what does the clinical picture look like?
- The very first and characteristic symptom is difficulty in nasal breathing. The child breathes very often, and through the mouth.
- Sleep is often accompanied by sniffling and snoring, sometimes at night the patient wakes up from asthma attacks.
- The patient is constantly worried about a runny nose, and the discharge from the nose is serous.
- Due to the fact that the discharge constantly flows down the back of the nasopharynx, the child suffers from frequent coughing.
- As the disease develops, voice changes, hoarseness, nasality can be noted.
- A patient with hypertrophied tonsils is more prone to various diseases of the respiratory system, including tonsillitis, bronchitis, pneumonia, sinusitis.
- Hearing problems, frequent otitis media, a feeling of stuffy ears are not uncommon among these children.
- Violation of normal breathing leads to the development of chronic hypoxia, in which the brain does not receive enough oxygen. It is believed that adenoids in schoolchildren may be the cause of poor performance.
- In connection with the violation of nasal breathing, pathologies are observed in the development of the facial region (if we are talking about a sick child). An incorrect bite is formed, the mouth is always slightly open, the lower jaw is lengthened andnarrows.
- Deformation of the chest can also be observed (with a long course of the disease). Due to the shallow depth of inhalation, the chest flattens, and may even take on a sunken shape.
- In some cases, anemia develops and some disorders of the digestive tract, such as problems with stool, loss of appetite.
Modern methods of treatment of adenoids
If during the examination the doctor finds that the pharyngeal tonsil is hypertrophied, then therapy is prescribed. Naturally, if possible, it is necessary to try to preserve the lymphoid structure. Nevertheless, conservative treatment is possible only at the first stage of the disease.
Typically, patients are prescribed antihistamines to help reduce swelling. It is necessary to use nasal drops, as well as irrigation of the nasal passages and the posterior wall of the nasopharynx with antiseptic solutions. If there is a slight inflammation of the tonsils, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial agents may be needed. Also, massages of the face and collar area will positively affect the patient's condition (they will help prevent abnormal development of the skeleton), breathing exercises, and physiotherapy. Good results are obtained by climatotherapy, which comes down to regular rest in the mountains or on the seashore, as well as visiting specialized sanatoriums.
It is worth noting that the presence of adenoids requires constant monitoring by a doctor - regular examinations are necessary, as they make it possible to determine in timeenlargement of the tonsils.
However, the second and third degree is an indication for surgical intervention. Resection of adenoids is a relatively simple procedure. On the other hand, it should be understood that in childhood, the removal of part of the immune system can undermine the body's defenses. Therefore, after the procedure for some time, you need to carefully monitor the child's he alth and, if necessary, carry out immunomodulatory therapy.
Other diseases of the tonsils
Inflammation and hyperplasia of the pharyngeal tonsil are the most common ailments, but by no means the only ones. There are more dangerous and complex diseases.
For example, in middle-aged and elderly patients (this is rare in childhood), an abscess is sometimes diagnosed. Inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsil in adults is sometimes accompanied by the appearance of an abscess with a membrane. Such a disease is quite difficult. It is characterized by a rare rise in temperature (sometimes up to 40 degrees), weakness, body aches, dizziness, a sharp sore throat, which becomes stronger during swallowing or talking.
In addition, the formation of tumors, both benign and malignant, is possible. For example, in modern medicine, papillomas, lipomas, neuromas, myomas, fibromas, angiomas are diagnosed. With a similar ailment, the pharyngeal tonsil visually increases. As the disease progresses, patients report difficulty in swallowing, discomfort duringtalking time, constant sensation of a foreign body in the throat. Benign tumors tend to grow slowly. The main method of treatment is surgical removal. But the growth of malignant neoplasms can be incredibly fast. Moreover, cancer cells can spread to other organs (metastasis formation). In such cases, in addition to surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, or any other method, depending on the decision of the attending specialist, is required.
Cyst is a defect of the pharyngeal tonsil, which is accompanied by the appearance of a benign formation with a membrane, inside which is contained liquid contents. Cysts can be either large single or smaller, multiple. Neoplasms are located either on the surface or directly in the tissue of the tonsils. The causes of the development of the disease can be different, including hormonal disruptions, chronic tonsillitis, infection of lymphoid tissues, etc. The clinical picture depends on the size of the cyst. If the formation is small, then it may not cause any discomfort. As the cyst grows, difficulty swallowing and other common symptoms may appear. And the presence of a neoplasm is often accompanied by an unpleasant smell from the mouth. Rupture of a cyst can provoke a massive inflammatory process, and therefore therapy in this case is simply necessary.
Inflammation of the pharyngeal tonsil can occur against the background of tuberculosis. Quite often, this disease is hidden and disguised as chronic tonsillitis. Diagnosis can only be made aftercareful diagnosis and bacteriological research.
The defeat of the tonsils can be associated with syphilis, and the inflammatory process can develop at almost any stage of the disease. Sometimes patients develop what is called syphilitic angina, which is much more severe than other forms of inflammation.
In any case, the pharyngeal tonsil is an important structure, the condition of which should not be ignored. Therefore, when discomfort appears, it is necessary to seek help from specialists in time. It is much easier to cure a disease at an early stage than to get rid of, for example, chronic forms of a disease.
